


Milestones

by AnnaOnTheMoon



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Brief Beverly/Jack, Brief Picard/Philippa, Coming of Age, F/M, Fluff and Angst, NaNoWriMo, Romance, wibbly wobbly timey wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 18:43:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 168,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16770742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon
Summary: Jean-Luc and Beverly’s story spans years as their relationship takes many forms from friends at the academy to lovers, to friends, and eventually back to lovers. Follow as their relationship unfolds.Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey, I’ve made them the same age.  There will be time jumps in this fic, so please note the years given at the tops of some chapters.AUTHOR CHOOSES NOT TO USE WARNINGS because some of the themes that require warnings only apply to one or two chapters, so please see the Author Notes before each chapter for any applicable warnings.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: There is a tiny bit of non-con in this chapter between two teenage (age 16/17) OCs.

****

**2323**

Jean-Luc Picard glanced at the PADD in his hand directing him to his temporary dormitory for the next two weeks. He had needed to travel to Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco this time to take his entrance exams, as he had failed his exams the year before by only five points. He was nervous, but confident and wondered which of his fellow exam takers would wind up in his class the following year. He entered the code for his new room and looked around. It was sparse and consisted of a bed, desk, and closet. There was a replicator on the wall next to the door leading to the private bathroom, and Jean-Luc stared at the piece of technology. Perhaps he was still over his head.

Across the hall, Beverly Howard grinned when she saw the replicator. Her Nana had only installed one a few months ago, and Beverly loved being able to ask it for whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. She quickly asked it for a hot chocolate and savoured the beverage when it appeared. She unpacked her few belongings she had brought with her all the way from Caldos and sat on the bed. They said there would be a mixer that evening to meet the rest of the students and Beverly hoped she would make friends. 

“ _Merde!_ ” came across the hall and Beverly rushed to the room across the hall from her and knocked on the door. “Are you OK? I heard a shout?”

The door opened to a sheepishly grinning Jean-Luc. “Uhm....I’m....I’m fine.” Beverly peered over his shoulder. “You’re not. What happened?”

“Uhm...” Realisation dawned on Beverly. “You’ve never used a replicator before, have you?”

“No. My parents don’t have one. My father...he’s pretty strict.” He held out his hand to the girl with the long red-hair. “Hi, I’m Jean-Luc Picard. Academy hopeful who can’t even work a replicator.” She grinned and took his hand. “Beverly Howard. And I bet I’m from an even more backwater place than you. Ever hear of Caldos?”

“No?”

“Exactly. But, we _do_ have replicators. Come on, I’ll help you.”

“Thanks.” He moved aside for Beverly to enter his small quarters and she called out. “Computer: execute servobot to clean up.”

 _“Confirmed.”_ Jean-Luc watched with wide-eyes as a small compartment opened near the floor and a circular device came out and brushed over the spilled liquid and food, clearing it up. “How did you know how to do that?”

“It’s a three-week trip from Caldos to Earth. I learned a few things on my shuttle trip. Where are you from?”

“La Barre. Er, France.” Beverly grinned. “Ah, that’s not too far. I bet it’s lovely.” Jean-Luc shrugged. “It’s alright. My father runs a vineyard.” 

“Wow.” 

“I guess.” 

“I’m guessing you don’t like it?” Beverly looked at him with inquisitive eyes. Jean-Luc was strangely captivated by the girl. He didn’t usually open up to strangers, but he soon found himself telling Beverly his entire life story while she perched on the edge of his bed. When he was finished, she turned her wide, blue eyes towards him. “Wow. I can understand wanting to get out.”

“What about you? What brings you here?” She laughed. “Oh, the usual. Parents are dead, moved to one planet that suffered a meltdown with my nana, moved to Caldos to live with great-nana, want to get out.” He raised his eyebrows. “The usual?”

“Well, it’s not really that interesting.” Beverly fingered the Starfleet blanket on the bed. “Anyway, what were you trying to order from the replicator when I heard you shout? And what language was it in?” He blushed. “French. _Merde_ is...manure?” Beverly shook her head.

“You know, like horse poop?” Beverly’s eyes lit up. “Ah, you mean ‘shit.’”

“I guess so. We speak French at home most of the time when it’s just our family around, so I’ve only really used Standard at school. I only wanted a cup of Earl Grey tea....” 

“Hmmm.” Beverly walked up to the replicator. “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot,” she looked back at Jean-Luc. “Any milk or lemon or sugar?” He shook his head and watched in fascination as a glass cup of tea appeared. She passed him his beverage and then ordered herself a new cup of hot chocolate, figuring her own cup in her room had long gone cold. She settled herself back on his bed and crossed her legs like a pretzel, leaning back against his pillow. Jean-Luc grinned. He had never met such a bold girl before. He liked her. 

“I’m sorry you lost your parents. How old were you?” 

“Four. I wish I remembered more about them. They were scientists for the Federation but worked with Starfleet. Nana’s pretty angry with me for wanting to join. Said Starfleet kills good people. But I want to be a doctor, and Starfleet doctors are the best doctors.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“I saw a Starfleet doctor when I was a child for a hearing issue. We were sent there because it was the best facility.” 

“Is your hearing alright now?” He nodded as he took a sip of his tea. “I had Shalaft Syndrome as a child. Apparently, it’s hereditary on the male side of the line.” Beverly nodded back. “I’ve actually read about it in one of my books. It must have been painful.” 

“It was. My father didn’t want to take me to the hospital. He said Robert, that’s my older brother, had been fine when he had it, and Papa said he and Uncle Charles were ok when they had it, so I would be fine too...but I wasn’t. Maman was worried and by the time she took me to a hospital, they had to send me to the Starfleet hospital.”

“Wow. Your father sounds kinda strict.” 

“He is. He’s very opposed to me joining Starfleet. In fact, I failed the exam last year and he was positively overjoyed.” Beverly frowned. “That’s not nice. I mean, I don’t know how a father is supposed to act, but I’m guessing that’s not it.”

“No. So what happened after your parents died?” Beverly took a sip of her hot chocolate before continuing. “Nana lived on Arvada Three as a healer.”

“I read about Arvada Three in one of my books. Were you there when....?” She nodded. “It was pretty scary. Then, when Starfleet evacuated us, Nana decided we would go live with her mother on Caldos. Apparently, the Howard family helped establish the colony or something. I don’t know. I hated it there. It was always cold. And there weren’t very many kids my age except for Billy, and I didn’t really like him.”

“Why not?” 

“He tried to kiss me when we were twelve.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “I see.” 

“So I read a lot and helped Nana make her herbal remedies. I think she wanted me to become a healer, but I really wanted to go into medicine. I guess she’s proud of me....we don’t talk about it much.” 

“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?” Beverly softly laughed. “Bet the other kids are all from really cool places. Hey, do you want to have dinner with me before the mixer tonight?” Jean-Luc blushed. “Uh....sure. I’ve never gone out with a girl before.”

“Me neither. Or a boy, but first time for everything, right?” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m going to get changed. Pick me up in a half hour?” Jean-Luc grinned. “Sure.” His hand slowly rose to touch his cheek where Beverly had kissed him as he watched her leave his quarters. 

She had dumped her empty cup in the replicator and it disappeared, so he did the same with his cup. _A date? Wow._ Jean-Luc suddenly panicked. _Do I have anything nice enough to wear?_

###

When Jean-Luc knocked on Beverly’s door, he had a small bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. She grinned when she saw them and took a deep sniff. “Real flowers?” He nodded. “There’s a small courtyard where they grow. I can show you later if you’d like?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Beverly replicated a glass to put the flowers in and looped her arm through Jean-Luc’s. “I think the mess hall is across the quad.” 

Over dinner, the two new friends learned more about each other. Jean-Luc wasn’t sure if this counted as his first date or not, but when Beverly slipped her hand into his as they walked back to the dorm building after dinner, he decided it was and he couldn’t wait to tell his friend Louis. He wondered if she would expect a kiss, too. He had never kissed anyone other than his mother, grandmother, and his Tante Adele, but he didn’t think any of them actually counted. He became slightly nervous and Beverly noticed. 

“Are you nervous about meeting the other kids? Me too.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “But I’ll stay by your side if you stay by mine.” 

“It’s a deal.” 

The mixer was being held in the dorm’s recreation room. There were about twenty other teenagers in the room, and two adults in Starfleet uniforms. The adult with the Lieutenant badge began to speak. “Hello, my name is Lieutenant Saunders, and this is Ensign Carson. We’re in charge of keeping you guys in line while you’re here, and that means we have a few rules to go over first. The first rule is: _Boys and girls may not share bedrooms_. I do not want to see a boy in a girl’s room or vice versa and if you are going to hang out, you are required to leave your door open. This goes for those of you who are attracted to the same sex, or those of you who do not fit the male/female binary. We expect absolutely zero funny business around here. Most of you are underage and your parents have entrusted us with your care.” Jean-Luc exchanged a glance with Beverly. They had already broken that rule! 

“The second rule is: _No alcohol or synthehol_. I know for most of you this is the first time you have been away from home, but the exams will be gruelling and we don’t want any of you too intoxicated to participate, nor do we want to be cleaning up your vomit at three in the morning.” The Lieutenant ran her eyes around the room and Jean-Luc saw a few of the other teens squirm. 

“You may use this games room to hang out with each other and to get to know each other, but we will have a _strict_ curfew of 2300 during the week, 0100 on Friday and Saturday. Carson and I will be checking _every single room_ and you had better be in it.” A girl with blonde pigtails raised her hand. “What happens if we’re not?”

“Simple. You will be kicked out of the program and not permitted to finish your exams.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. _Oh._ Any other questions?” A few hands went into the air and Saunders chuckled. “I can’t tell you anything about the exam or what order the tests will be in. For all you know, _this_ is part of your test,” there were a few gasps around the room and Saunders chuckled. “Just kidding. Now. Carson and I are going to get out of your hair and allow you guys to do...whatever teenagers tend to do in groups that is legal. Remember: Curfew is 0100. Feel free to use the replicator for any refreshments, but keep it legal.” 

The two officers left the room and someone turned on some music and a few couples started to dance. Beverly eyed the couples and Jean-Luc took the initiative. “Want to dance?”

“Sure. I mean, I’ve never danced like _that_ before,” she said pointing at the nearest couple who appeared to be pressing their hips together rhythmically. “Me neither. But Maman made Robert and I learn how to dance.” He stood up and held out his hand to her. She took it and they were soon waltzing around the other couples, laughing as they tried to waltz to the music. “Doesn’t really work, does it?” 

“Not entirely.” Beverly moved her hands behind Jean-Luc’s neck. “How about if we just sway?” 

“Sounds good.” Jean-Luc placed his hands on her waist and held her close while they swayed. He could smell her hair. “Your hair smells nice.” She laughed. “Thanks. Nana and I make the soap. I hope I have time to make enough to pack when I move!” 

“Planning on passing?”

“Absolutely. You?” 

“I hope so. I failed last year, so this is my second chance. I only missed it by five points, but the better representative went. At least, I hope they were better.” 

The pair soon became bored of dancing and armed with glasses of a pink non-alcoholic drink, they sat on one of the sofas that lined the perimeter of the room. The center of the room contained a pool table, and there were also various smaller tables scattered around the room. Every dorm at the Academy had a similar room for socialising. Beverly sank into the chair and leaned against Jean-Luc. He tentatively put his arm around her and she smiled. “I hope I pass.”

“I’m sure you will.” 

A tall boy flopped onto the sofa. “This is boring. Let’s play a game!” 

“What kind of game?”

“Spin the bottle?” Supplied the blonde girl with the pigtails. The boy rolled his eyes. “What are we, twelve? No, I know! Seven Minutes on Risa!”

Beverly leaned closer to Jean-Luc and whispered in his ear. “What’s that?”

“I don’t know. I know Risa is a planet.” Another girl spoke up. “What’s Seven Minutes on Risa?”

“Simple! We program everyone’s names into the tricorder and it will spit out two at random. Those two have to go into the closet over there and a timer is set for seven minutes. They can do whatever they want in the seven minutes, but we get to open the door after seven.” 

“Ok. Got a tricorder?” 

Jean-Luc leaned in and whispered. “I don’t know about this, but I don’t want to be labelled as a spoil sport if I object.” 

“Me too. But maybe we can just talk to the other person?” Jean-Luc squeezed her hand. “I hope so.” 

The tall boy fiddled with the tricorder. “Alright. The first couple is....me and Mina?” The blond pigtailed girl giggled. “That’s me!” 

“Well, then, shall we?” The boy tossed the tricorder to another boy. “Set the timer once we shut the door.” 

The teens got into the waiting game, shouting out the last twenty seconds in unison before one of the girls walked over to the closet and flung open the door. Beverly gasped and clutched Jean-Luc’s hand. Mina was on her knees, and the boy’s trousers were down around his knees. Mina looked startled when the light filtered over her face, but the boy held her face against him and moaned. “I’m almost there, don’t stop.” Beverly wanted to turn away, but there was something fascinating about what was going on. Jean-Luc could sense Mina’s discomfort and he rose to walk over to the closet. Before he arrived to help Mina, the boy let out a loud shout and Mina appeared to choke. When she rose from her knees, tears were in her eyes and Jean-Luc motioned for Beverly to come over. “Bev, would you take her to the bathroom and help her get cleaned up?” Beverly nodded and wrapped an arm around Mina. “Hi, I’m Beverly. That’s my friend Jean-Luc. Let me help you...are you ok?” Mina had tears running down her face and shook her head. “I think I’m going to be sick.” 

“I’ll wait out here for you. Shout if you need me,” Jean-Luc stood outside the restroom door and winced when he heard the girl make retching noises. The boy, naturally, was grinning and picked up the tricorder. “Alright. Our next happy couple is.....Sora and Jack!” Sora eyed the boy who stood up. “If you think I’m doing _that_....” The boy named Jack chuckled and took her hand. 

Jean-Luc heard the next couple talking as the closet door was closed. Seven minutes later when it opened, Sora was rising from her knees with a smug smile on her face and Jack was grinning. “Talk about a quickie....” the tall boy, who Jean-Luc learned was named Marsden, said. Jean-Luc gently knocked on the bathroom door. “Bev? Is Mina alright?”

Beverly opened the door. “She said she’ll be fine, but she wants to go home and doesn’t even want to stay to try for the exam.” Jean-Luc frowned. “I guess that’s up to her, but tell her she shouldn’t let someone like Marsden control her future.” 

“I will.” 

The third couple was called. It was two girls, and several of the boys whistled as they entered the closet. When the door opened, both girls were giggling. “Alright our next happy couple is.....Gene Luke,” Jean-Luc winced at the pronunciation of his name. “It’s Jean-Luc.”

“Whatever, _Johnny._ You’re up next with....Beverly! Hey, which one of you is Beverly?” Jean-Luc knocked on the bathroom door. “Beverly? They called your name.”

“Oh no. I don’t want to do this. It’s humiliating.” 

“Well, you’re in luck, you’re partnered with me.” She opened the door and grinned. “Well, that won’t be too bad then.” Beverly took Jean-Luc’s hand and they entered the closet. The door closed and there was only a small sliver of light.

“Wow, it’s dark in here. Jean-Luc....I think they expect to see something when they open the door...”

“I know.”

“I’ve never even kissed boy, I’m not sure I want to put your penis in my mouth.”

“Then don’t.” She smiled. “Thanks.” 

“Beverly, I’ve never kissed a girl and I’d like to kiss you, but not here. I don’t want everyone to see us.” 

“Yeah,” she reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Walk Mina and I upstairs? Her room is down the hall from me.”

“Sure.” Outside they could hear the chants of the other cadet hopefuls counting down the last few seconds until the door opened. When it opened, they both blinked and Marsden frowned. “Aw, you guys were no fun. I thought the French were known for being sensual?”

“They are. Jean-Luc can do a lot with seven minutes.” Beverly smirked at the boy and tugged on Jean-Luc’s hand. “Let’s go.” 


	2. Chapter 2

During their time at Starfleet Academy for the exams, Jean-Luc and Beverly became best friends. They had kissed once, but then both agreed to put their feelings aside while they concentrated on studying for the exams and preparing themselves for them. Saunders and Carson were used to going on their patrols and finding the dorm room door propped open to one or the other’s room with the two of them studying together. They shared their meals together and sometimes they were joined by a boy Jean-Luc had met the first day he had decided to try out the treadmills in the gym. His name was Walker Keel, and he and Jean-Luc hit it off quickly. Walker introduced them to his neighbour, Jack Crusher. 

Five days into the testing, Beverly came flying into Jean-Luc’s room after her exam and wrapped her arms around him and wouldn’t let go. “Are you alright?” 

“F...fine.” She said against his neck. Jean-Luc patted her back. “You’re not fine. Talk to me. What happened?”

“Today was my psychological test. Since they knew I want to go into Medical, it was focussed on that,” she sniffed and Jean-Luc passed her a tissue. “I don’t think I’m going to make it as a doctor.”

“Don’t be silly. Of course you’ll be accepted.” Jean-Luc gently detangled her from around his neck and stood to get her a hot chocolate from the replicator. “Mm, thanks,” Beverly sat against his headboard as she had been doing every day and sighed as she took a sip. Jean-Luc abandoned his book and joined her on his bed and twined the fingers of their free hands together. “What happened?”

“I was the CMO. My ship was attacked and I was brought two patients. I only had enough life-saving medication for one patient and I had to decide who was going to get it...the Captain of the ship....or _you._ ”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I guess Saunders told them we were close, so they put an Ensign uniform on a holographic version of you and Jean-Luc, I forgot I was in a holosimulation and I thought it was really you dying.” 

“Oh, Beverly.”

“So see? I can’t be a doctor. Of course I was going to save you and not the Captain.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “Glad to hear it. But couldn’t you replicate more medicine?” 

“Replicate more medicine?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Sure. If you only had enough for one, but needed it for two....replicate more. Or divide the medicine between the two to stabilise them until you can make more?” Beverly leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips. “You’re a genius. I’m going to ask to go back in.” 

“Can they do that?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth asking!” She dashed out his door. “I’ll see you later!”

###

Jean-Luc handed Beverly his PADD with his results. “I can’t look. You look.” She grinned and handed him hers. “Ok, we look on three. One...Two...Three...”

“You got in!” They both shouted. Beverly threw her arms around Jean-Luc. “I’m so glad we’ll be attending the academy together. Jean-Luc, you’re my best friend.” She kissed him on the cheek and he grinned back. “Don’t tell Louis, but you’re mine, too. Besides, you’re much prettier than he is!” Beverly laughed. 

“I’m not looking forward to the long trip back to Caldos and then the long wait to move back. I’ll miss you, Walker and Jack.” Jean-Luc rested his arm across Beverly’s shoulders and squeezed her to his side.

“Do you think they got in too?” 

“Let’s find out!” 

Jean-Luc was pleased to find out that Walker would be joining them the following year, along with Jack,a girl named Sora, and unfortunately, Marsden. Jean-Luc still wasn’t happy with him over his treatment of Mina, and neither was Beverly. But, they supposed they would have to learn to work with him. 

Beverly checked on her transport back to Caldos and frowned. “My shuttle’s been cancelled.” 

“Which one?”

“The first and second leg of the trip. Apparently there was a malfunction on Starbase Twelve, where I need to transfer shuttles so nothing is going in or out until it’s fixed. Nana’s not going to like this and I don’t have anywhere to go!” Jean-Luc thought for less than a minute before speaking.

“I’ll ask Maman if you can come home with me. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Even with your dad?” Jean-Luc grimaced. “He’ll grumble about it, but I know Maman. Give me a few minutes, alright?” 

“Ok.”

Jean-Luc dashed across the hall to his own room and initiated a call to his home in La Barre and he was grateful when his mother’s face filled the screen. _“Jean-Luc! How was the exam?”_ She fired off at him in rapid French. He grinned.

“I got in, Maman!”

_“Oh, that’s brilliant news! So we’ll be seeing you soon?”_

“I should be. Maman, can I bring a friend home for a few weeks?” Yvette smiled at her son. _“Of course you can. I’ll put a folding bed in your room.”_

“Er, Maman, it’s a girl.” Yvette raised an eyebrow. _“Oh?”_

“Not like that, Maman. Her name is Beverly and we’ve become friends. She lives on Caldos, but her shuttles have been cancelled due to a malfunction on Starbase Twelve. She doesn’t know anyone else or have anywhere to go.” Yvette nodded.

 _“Of course it is fine. I will get the spare room ready for her. You’ve explained our lack of modern amenities?”_ Jean-Luc grinned at his mother. “Yes. She’s used to living a rural life, so she’ll be fine. Oh. She’ll probably need some clothes to muck around in. Do we have anything she could borrow?”

_“I’m sure I can find something for her or I can ask your brother’s girlfriend, Marie.”_

“Thanks Maman! We’ll be home as soon as we can. And, uh, can you ask Papa and Robert to please speak Standard while Beverly visits?”

_“Of course.”_

“Thank you. Picard out.” Jean-Luc raced across the hall to Beverly’s room. “Feel special. Maman is setting up the spare room for you!” Beverly blushed. “I hope it’s not any trouble.”

“Nah. Maman loves having a full house. Do you need to call your grandmother?” Beverly frowned. “It’s not like she can say no, I don’t have anywhere else to go. But I should at least tell her and let her know how she can reach me.”

“Ah, right. Well, it’s the Picard Vineyard in La Barre, France. Comte and Comtesse Picard are my parents. Do you want me to write down our comm code?” She nodded. “Besides, I’ll need it if we want to talk once I’m back on Caldos, won’t I?” Jean-Luc blushed. “I’d like that.” He scribbled the contact details down and passed it to her. “I’ll go make the travel arrangements while you talk to your grandmother.”

###

“Jean-Luc, is your family rich? You said they were Comte and Comtesse?” Beverly was staring at the large centuries old manor house and attached vineyard in awe. Jean-Luc shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just an inherited title. My brother and I are also Comte, but we don’t really use the titles for anything except official communication and on the wine labels. Papa’s pretty successful. Why?”

“Well...Nana and I aren’t exactly rolling in it. I mean, we have enough to live off of, and I’ll be able to pay for my expenses at the Academy, but...” Jean-Luc took her hand in his. “I’m sorry. I hope this doesn’t make you feel awkward.” She smiled. “I’ll be fine.” 

A woman with fading red hair and crinkles around her eyes exited the house and took in the couple standing before her. She wisely made no comment on their joined hands, but instead embraced her son. “Welcome home, Jean-Luc. And this must be your _friend_ , Beverly.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Comtesse Picard.” Yvette shook her head. “You must call me Yvette. Please. Comtesse Picard was Jean-Luc’s grandmother!” Yvette embraced the younger woman and gave her a kiss on each cheek. “This is how we greet our friends in France. And any friend of Jean-Luc’s is a friend of the family indeed. Here, let me show you to the guest room. I borrowed some clothing from Marie, Robert’s girlfriend, for you and added some of my things as well. If you don’t like it, don’t wear it. I’m sure if you are here for a while we can go on a shopping trip together to get you what you need.” Beverly glanced back at Jean-Luc who shouldered her bag alongside his and just grinned at her. “Uhm..Thank you, Yvette.”

Yvette brought Beverly to a room with an elaborate four poster bed. “Wow,” Beverly whispered.

“I know, it’s very grand, isn’t it? Jean-Luc’s Tante Adele picked out the bed when we were remodelling around ten years ago. I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.” 

“Are you sure you want me staying here? I can sleep on a cot in Jean-Luc’s room or on a sofa....”

“Nonsense. You will have this room and it will be yours for as long as you need it.” Yvette smiled. “Jean-Luc thought you might need some other clothing to wear, so Marie brought over a few of her things for you. I put them in the closet for you. Do you ride?”

“Horses? Yes, but not with Western tack.” Yvette grinned. “Ah, you and Jean-Luc will have much to teach each other then.” Yvette studied Beverly’s feet. “Hmm. Your feet looks a little smaller than mine, but I think you will be alright borrowing a pair from me. You must let Jean-Luc take you riding.” Beverly’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes please!” She turned around to where Jean-Luc was standing in the door. “Please?” He grinned.

“How could I say no?” He placed her bag by the door. “Maman has that look in her eye that says she wants to talk to you without me around, so I’ll be in my room unpacking. It’s just over there,” he pointed across the hall, “See you in a bit?”

“Ok...” Beverly looked at him nervously. What could Yvette want to talk to her about? 

The door closed behind him. “Good. There are some things I think women like to discuss without their men around.” Beverly blushed. “Jean-Luc and I are just friends, Yvette.”

“Are you?” Yvette narrowed her eyes at her son’s new friend.

“Well....”

“Yes, that’s what I thought. Now, I thought you might run out of toiletries if you only packed for two weeks, so I took the liberty of getting you a few items when I was in the village. If you don’t like them, we can get you something else. I left it all in the bathroom for you, through that door.” 

“I have my own bathroom?” Yvette nodded. “Adele insisted. She said she did not want to share a bathroom with two boys, and I can’t say that I blame her. Adele even asked for the large bathtub, so feel free to make use of it.” 

“Wow, thanks. For everything. I mean it, Yvette.” Yvette clasped Beverly’s hands in hers and sat down on the edge of the bed with her. “I need to ask you something....delicate.”

“Uhm...ok.” 

“Are you on birth control?” Beverly’s eyes went wide and she flushed crimson. “I....uh....Jean-Luc and I aren’t....but....yes, I am.” Yvette patted her arm gently. “I’m sorry I asked. You should know, I insisted Jean-Luc start on the supressors when he turned sixteen. I told him I didn’t want to know, but I wanted him to be safe. The same goes for you while you’re staying here.” 

“Thank you.” _Did Yvette just give me permission to sleep with her son? Do I_ want _to? I’ve never had sex....I wonder if I should ask Jean-Luc to sleep with me so I’m not a virgin anymore?_ Yvette smiled. “Now then, I’ll let you get settled. Ask Jean-Luc to give you a tour of the vineyard this afternoon. It’s quite lovely in the twilight.”

###

Beverly had been in La Barre for four weeks, and would be staying for a while longer as the problem on Starbase Twelve had turned out to be an explosion in one of the ships docked there and it was going to take Starfleet months to repair the base, not to mention it damaged a half a dozen ships, including three of the interplanetary shuttles. This also meant they had plenty of people to shuffle around and Beverly was having such a good time in La Barre, she hardly thought about it. Yvette had offered for her to stay with them until their studies at the Academy began, but Beverly was worried about not seeing her Nana, even with the trip taking so long in each direction. But she thanked Yvette and told her she would keep it in mind if the transportation continued to be a problem. 

Beverly had her head resting on Jean-Luc’s chest on the floor of the barn loft, looking through a slit in the roof at the stars with various ages of barn cat and kitten crawling over them. “I wish I knew which one was Caldos. Do you think it’s visible from Earth?” 

“We can look on a starchart, but I’m honestly not sure. I suppose we’ll have to learn where everything is, or at least how to read the charts.” Beverly grinned and turned to look at him. “Not me. I’ll be down in Sickbay. You’ll be driving the ship.” 

“I’ll be _commanding_. But don’t you want to be able to take command if the situation was needed?” 

“Uhm...no, because that would mean there was something wrong with my Captain, and _you’ll_ be my Captain....” 

“Well, that solves the problem on who to give your last dose of medicine too,” he replied cheekily and she shoved him. “Funny.” One of the kittens let out a squeak and Beverly sat up to cradle the small ginger cat. “How many cats do you have?”

“No idea. Sometimes some of the helpers take one home with them, but Papa likes having cats around to keep the mice away from the barrels. One time he had to throw away an entire barrel because a mouse got in through a knothole in the lid and drowned.”

“Ouch.” Beverly kissed the kitten’s head before placing it back on the loft floor. “You be a good mouser for Maurice!” She smiled wistfully as the cat wandered away. “I wish we could have pets at the Academy. I love cats.” 

“Maybe we can get our own place after our first year with a few friends? Then you can have as many cats as you want.” Beverly grinned. “I’d like that. Maybe Walker could share with us, he’s pretty cool. It’s too bad Mina won’t be with us next year.” 

“I know. But I’m sure you’ll meet some other girls to be friends with.” Beverly leaned back against Jean-Luc. “Ah, who needs girlfriends when I have you?” 

“I’m not sure how to take that.” Beverly grinned. “Good.”

The pair lay in silence for a while just watching the stars until Beverly spoke up again. She propped herself up on an elbow to look at Jean-Luc. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Ask away.”

“Have you ever had sex?” Jean-Luc’s eyes widened. “Uh...no. You were my first kiss. Have you?”

“No. Do you think we should?”

“Should what?”

“Have sex?”

“Uhm....like, with each other?” Beverly licked her lips. “I trust you and I’d rather my first time be with someone I trust, yeah?” 

“I guess so, but...ah...will it make our friendship weird?” Beverly shook her head and her waves bounced. “No. Only if we let it.” Jean-Luc smiled at his best friend and turned his head to kiss her gently. “What was that for?”

“Sealing the deal.” 

“Do you want to do it here? Now?” Beverly rose to her knees and reached for the hem of her shirt and started to pull it over her head, but Jean-Luc reached for her hands. “You want to have sex for the very first time in a loft?” 

“Not really, but it’s not like we can have sex in your parent’s house, can we?” 

“We’ll go away for a few days. You wanted to see Paris, right?” Beverly grinned. “Well yeah, but I actually want to _see Paris_. Not go stay in some hotel just to have sex.” Jean-Luc grinned back. “I promise to show you the sights of Paris.” He rose and reached for her hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the house. I need to book us a room.” Beverly frowned. “Won’t your parents get suspicious if we only book one room?” 

“We’ll book a suite with two bedrooms.” Beverly chewed her lip. “Will it be expensive?” He shrugged. “I dunno. But don’t worry about it. I don’t mind paying for it.” 

“No. Let me pay half.” 

“A quarter.”

“One-third and you let me pay for the transportation.” He sighed. “I’m not going to win, am I?”

“Nope.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING FOR SEX BETWEEN UNDERAGE PEOPLE (they are both 17, which is legal where I live as the age of consent in the UK is 16).

Beverly chewed her lip nervously and stood in front of her best friend in her underwear. He reached out and pulled her against his bare chest and he kissed the top of her head. “Are you scared?” She shook her head. “More like nervous. Do we even know what we’re doing?”

“Well, I _did_ read a book....”

“Me too, but do you think we’re really prepared? And I know it’ll hurt and I know there might be some blood...I mean, that’s what my friends said, but on the other hand, I might have already broken my hymen horseback riding or dancing or...”

“Hey, slow down.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ve never done this before either, remember? We’ll take it as slow as we want, we can stop if it hurts, and if there’s any blood, we can get the sheets changed by one of those servobot things you showed me at the Academy.” She smiled. “Ok.”

“Ok?”

“Let’s...let’s do this.” She kissed him deeply and he fumbled behind her to unhook her bra. “Maybe we should have made out a few more times before going straight for sex...I still can’t figure out your bra!” She laughed. “Yeah, but it’s funny every time you try. You’ll get the hang of it. And then you can impress a girl with your skills.” He snorted. “Right.” He fiddled with the clasps behind her back and grinned. “Ah-ha! Got you, you little devil.” Beverly rolled her eyes as she removed her bra. 

“I kind of want to do a little cheer every time I see your breasts.”

“Why?” 

“They’re just so beautiful.” Beverly blushed. “And they even blush when you do.” He leaned down and gently sucked on a nipple and Beverly’s eyes went wide. “Woah!”

“Sorry, should I stop?”

“No....please don’t...that feels.... _wow_.” He grinned. Beverly moved her hands to the waistband of his boxers and slipped her hands inside the front and gently stroked him. “Oooooooooh” he hummed around her breast and she enjoyed the vibrations. “Can I take them off?”

“Oh god, yes. Please.” Beverly grinned and lowered herself to her knees. “Bev?”

“I kind of want to...lick it....” She stared at his erect penis. She had seen it before, and even touched him when they were making out, but this was the first time she had _really_ gotten a closer look. He raised his eyebrows. “It?”

“Yeah, you know..... _it_.”

“Oh, right. _It._ You know, if you do and I....uhm....you know...”

“Come?” Jean-Luc blushed. “If I come in your mouth I might not be able to....make love....if that’s what you still want to do?” He asked her hesitantly. He _wanted_ to, but if Beverly had changed her mind, he wanted to respect her decision. “I do still want to. But I’m doing _that_ later.” 

The two fell onto the bed together, now both naked and giggling. Jean-Luc kissed Beverly again and she kissed him back amidst her giggling. “Jean-Luc, I’m so glad my first time is with you.”

“Me too.” He kissed her neck and kissed down her body. “May I?” 

“Umm....” Beverly hesitated and Jean-Luc looked up at her face. “If you don’t want me to, I won’t. But...if _you’re_ going to taste _me_ , I should get to taste _you_.” 

“Later? I want...I want to make love.” Beverly felt bold making her request and Jean-Luc grinned and settled between her legs. “No foreplay?” 

“Welll....maybe a little.” He grinned. “Computer, lower lights.” 

###

“How do you feel?” Jean-Luc kissed Beverly as he pulled her close against his chest. 

“It didn’t hurt nearly as much as I thought it would...but you were a good partner. You listened.” She kissed him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Making this special for me. Making it mean something....I...well, just thank you,” she finished lamely. She rolled away and went to get out of the bed. “Where are you going?”

“No offense, but I need to clean up. This is...” She made a face. “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me how gross sex was?” He laughed. “Want to share a shower?”

“Sure!” 

Beverly experienced her first orgasm in the shower when Jean-Luc was on his knees in front of her. She shuddered and gasped and when she was done, Jean-Luc had to hold onto her to keep her upright. “Woah. I mean, sex felt really good and I know I climaxed but that felt amazing. Your tongue....Wow. Uhmmm...it’s my turn.” 

“You sure?” 

“Uh-huh.” 

###

Beverly was cuddled into Jean-Luc in their bed once more. She had put on her nightgown and then laughed and took it off and tossed it down the side of the bed. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked.”

“Oh, I did _more_ than see you.” He pushed his shorts off. “Well, if you’re going to sleep naked I might as well, too.”

“I never have. Have you?”

“Nope.”

“Hmm. Feels kind of nice.” She kissed him. “Goodnight, Jean-Luc.”

Jean-Luc watched his best friend fall asleep in his arms and he started to wonder if they had made the right decision sleeping together. He didn’t want to make their friendship awkward, but a part of him hoped this wasn’t the last time they would sleep together.

###

It wasn’t. When they returned to La Barre, they had taken a picnic lunch to the riverside and Beverly had told him about swimming naked in the river behind her Nana’s house on Caldos. Jean-Luc had responded that he and his brother used to swim naked when they were kids and Beverly had wiggled her eyebrows at him and had taken off her sundress and underwear before running off to the riverside and jumping in. Jean-Luc grinned and followed behind and the two splashed around together before Jean-Luc captured her lips in a searing kiss. Beverly’s eyes had widened, but she kissed him back and they were soon making love on the picnic blanket by the riverside.

Jean-Luc twined their fingers together while he held her close. “Jean-Luc?”

“Yeah, Bev?”

“This is kinda nice, isn’t it?” 

“Hmm?” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “Being best friends....but sleeping together. It’s nice.” 

“Are you saying you don’t want to stop?” Beverly blushed. “Yeah. Is that ok?” He kissed her back. “But, you’re not my girlfriend and I’m not your boyfriend?” She shook her head. “No. I mean...it’s not that I don’t _want_ you to be, but then we’d lose our friendship, and I don’t want that.” 

“I wouldn’t want to lose you, either.” 

“Good.” Beverly rested her head against his chest. “Think your mom would let me sleep in your bedroom?” Jean-Luc laughed. “Maman would’t care. _Papa_ on the other hand...” 

“What?”

“Trust me, we’d be getting married if Papa knew. You ever heard the phrase ‘shot gun wedding’?” He grinned.

“No. What’s a shot gun?”

“Ancient phaser that used bullets. Basically, Papa would hold a phaser to us until we got married.” Beverly’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“If he caught us together, yeah. He’s really old fashioned. Robert spends a lot of nights ‘camping’ when he actually is visiting his girlfriend in the next village.” Beverly giggled. “Maybe he really likes camping.”

Jean-Luc snorted. “Nah. The camping gear is in our old treehouse covered in a layer of dust.” Jean-Luc kissed her. “But you know, Papa gets up at four in the morning and goes to bed early, so you probably _could_ sneak into my room. It’s not like he’d open the door to your bedroom or mine to check on us. If I was still working, he would wake me, but Maman told him I wasn’t working while you were here. So...uh...don’t go home?” 

Beverly shook her head. “I really _should_ go see Nana. Classes start in four months. It’ll take me almost two just for the travel.... _if_ I can arrange travel.” She sighed. “But since I’m already here, I’m not a priority for getting a seat while they reshuffle everyone.” She frowned and Jean-Luc kissed her. “What can I do?”

“I don’t know. Know anyone with a ship?” He snorted. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. I’ll have to call Nana again...will your parents let me use your comm?” 

“I don’t see why not. Do you need to go home to get anything?” She shrugged. “I mean, a few things, but Nana can ship them if I can’t go home. It’s just sad as I don’t know when I’ll be back...maybe not until next Summer and that’s only if I don’t get an internship....” Jean-Luc squeezed her tighter. “I’m sorry. You know, I bet if we ask Maman, she’d invite your Nana to come here for Christmas. I know she already invited you.” Beverly grinned. “Your mother has told me that the room I’m staying in is now my room until I want to move out. Her words.” 

“That’s Maman. She likes you.” Beverly grinned. “I never had a mother, not since my own died, I mean. It’s nice.” 

“I’m glad. If Maman gets to be too much, just....tell her, alright?” 

“Alright. Hey Jean-Luc?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re still naked.” 

###

Yvette grinned when she walked into Beverly’s bedroom to change her sheets and noticed the bed hadn’t been slept in the night before. She stripped the bed and changed the sheets before walking across the hall to her younger son’s room. Sure enough, the pillows on both sides of his bed had indents in them. She changed his sheets and went downstairs, and when she passed by Beverly, she whispered in her ear “I noticed your bed wasn’t slept in last night.” Beverly blushed, but nodded. 

“What did Maman whisper to you?” Jean-Luc was laying on the sofa opposite the chair Beverly was in, reading a book. “She knows I slept in your room last night.” 

“Oh. Well, I told you, Maman wouldn’t care.” 

“Mm.” Beverly turned back to the book she held in her lap and then put it down again. “It’s weird not having any chores to do.” 

“Nah, this is fantastic. No four in the morning alarms, no toiling out in the vines....it’s glorious.” Beverly rose and poked him in the stomach. “You’re lazy.”

“Far from it.” He grabbed her around her waist and she shrieked in laughter as he pulled her on top of him. He nuzzled against her neck and she laughed. “You haven’t shaved today. That tickles!” 

“Sorry.” He held her loosely around her waist and just enjoyed having her close. His older brother, Robert, walked into the room and snorted when he saw them. “But you two aren’t dating.” 

“Nope.” Robert shook his head and continued into the study. “Just to let you know, Papa’s on his way in. We have a meeting over the comm today.” Beverly slid off Jean-Luc to stand and he frowned. “Hmm, thanks Robert.” 

“I’m going to see if I can help your mother in the kitchen. She said she was baking bread today. I used to love baking bread with Nana.” 

“Jean-Luc will help you bake. He loves helping Maman in the kitchen.” Robert waved before he entered their father’s study and slid the door shut. 

“You do?” Jean-Luc sheepishly grinned. “Yeah. It was always fun.” 

“Good. Let’s go bake!”

###

Beverly frowned as she sat in front of the Picard family console. “Nana isn’t answering, but she sent me a letter yesterday. I hope she’s alright?” Jean-Luc leaned over her shoulder to peer at the monitor. “What does she say?”

“Nothing, really. Just that she understands why I can’t make it home before school starts and she’ll send the list of items I asked her for as soon as shipping lines open up. I told her to send the box here. Was that ok?”

“Of course it is. Even if we’re at the Academy, Maman _said_ you have a room here.” Beverly smiled. “Yeah. So I guess you’re stuck with me for four more months.”

“I think I can handle it.” 

###

The weeks were flying by when Yvette spoke up at dinner one evening. “Your father and I are going away to a wine maker’s conference in two weeks. I hope you three will be alright on your own?” 

“Three? Robert, you’re not going?” Robert shook his head. “Not this year. Maman wanted to go with Papa, and someone has to mind the vineyard....unless you want to do it?” 

“I’m sure I could manage. How long would you be away for?” Robert looked over at their father. “Five days, Jean-Luc. You’re sure? Do you even _remember_ how to run the vineyard on a daily basis?” Beverly’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, Maurice, will you show me what to do? Then I can help Jean-Luc!” Maurice grinned at the young woman his wife seemed to regard as a daughter. “Of course, _Princesse._ ” Beverly blushed and Yvette beamed. Maurice didn’t impose nicknames on just anyone. “We wake at 0400!” Jean-Luc groaned. “Just when I was getting used to sleeping in.” Robert smirked. “I can stay home if you’d like, little brother.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I’m sure Beverly and I can handle it for a few days.” Robert winked at his brother, fortunately their father hadn’t seen, but Yvette smugly smiled.

“I’ll make sure there’s plenty of food for you two.” 

“Yvette, I know how to cook. Please, don’t worry about it.” Yvette grinned. “So does Jean-Luc. Make sure he cooks at least a few times. I taught both my boys how to cook.” Beverly grinned and nudged Jean-Luc with her leg. “You never told me you could cook.” 

“Sorry. It never came up.” Maurice cleared his throat. “Let’s toast. To my new vintner, Beverly.” Beverly blushed as everyone clinked glasses and repeated “to Beverly”.

###

Beverly had slept in her own bed without Jean-Luc, and she was missing him. She kept reminding herself not to get attached, he was just her best friend, but it _was_ nice cuddling up to him in his bed. She grinned. Five days without his parents or his brother around...they hadn’t made love since the day outside by the river, and Beverly planned on correcting that...even if she wondered if they shouldn’t. Would it ruin their friendship? Were they together only out of circumstance or did she have feelings for her friend? There was a knock on her door and the gruff voice of Maurice could be heard. “Time to rise, _Princesse_.” 

“I’m awake, Maurice,” Beverly called through the door.

“Good. There will be coffee in the kitchen.” 

“Thanks!” Beverly rolled out of bed and wound her long braid on top of her head so she could take a quick shower. Yvette had lent her some clothing – a loose blouse , a set of overalls, and a pair of hardy boots. The very last piece of her outfit had made her giggle – a large straw hat for her head. Yvette had tssked when Beverly giggled and told her she would be glad of the hat in the summer sun.

She made her way downstairs and saw Jean-Luc in similar clothing slumped over a cup of coffee and a croissant. She kissed his cheek on her way to the stove with the percolator and he smiled. “ _Someone’s_ eager.” 

“I’m sorry.” Jean-Luc waved his hand. “It’s no bother. But I must tell you, while Papa and Maman are away, we’re not getting up at 0400. You don’t _have_ to be up this early. Papa just insists. And honestly, there isn’t a lot to do this time of year other than walk the rows and tie up any sagging vines and pinch off any that aren’t developing. It’ll be easy.”

“Hope so.” Beverly sat opposite Jean-Luc and reached for a croissant. “When did your mother have time to bake these too?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “Who knows with Maman? She seems to be capable of doing everything.” 

###

Beverly dragged herself up the stairs that evening after supper. “I think I’m going to take a bath. I have muscles that ache that I didn’t even know I had!” Jean-Luc grimaced as he followed her but took time to admire her shapely rear. “And we get to do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.” 

“Don’t remind me.” Beverly turned around at the top of the steps and pecked his lips lightly. “Goodnight. I think I might go to bed as soon as I’m out of the bath.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Is that an invitation?”

“Mm, I’d love to, but I’m too tired.” She kissed him again. “Goodnight, Jean-Luc.”

“Night Bev.”

Beverly was just changing when there was a knock on her door. She put on the bathrobe Yvette had given her and opened the door saying, “Mm, I might change my mind,” and then blushed when she saw it was Yvette.

“Uhm, sorry Yvette.” Yvette waved her free hand. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came to bring you some bath salts for aching muscles.”

“Oh, you’re a lifesaver, Yvette. I was just telling Jean-Luc I thought I would take a bath tonight when I said goodnight to him.” 

“I told Jean-Luc to make you a cup of tea and bring it to you for the bath,” she winked at Beverly. Beverly flushed again. “Uhm...thanks....” Yvette patted her arm. “My dear, I don’t pretend to understand your relationship, but I know you both care for each other.” 

“Yes, I do. Your son is very important to me.”

“Good. Now, Maurice and I are going to bed. I will come and knock on your door in the morning instead of Maurice. Goodnight, Beverly.”

“Goodnight, Yvette.” 

Beverly sank into the bath with a sigh of bliss when she heard a soft knock on the bathroom door. “Who is it?”

“Jean-Luc. I have a cup of tea per Maman’s orders.” Beverly laughed. “You can come in.”

Jean-Luc slowly opened the door. “Hi.” 

“Hey. Is it weird your mom basically gave us permission to be intimate?” Jean-Luc shrugged and passed Beverly her cup of tea. “Maman is a romantic. And I think she just wants us to be happy, whatever that means for us. We’re still young. I mean, she badgers Robert to get on with it and propose to Marie, but he’s twenty-four.” 

“Hmm. “ Beverly eyed her best friend. “So, are you joining me in here? Plenty of room!”

###

Beverly and Jean-Luc waved off the Jean-Luc’s parents and brother before he turned to her. “What would you like to do first?” 

“Well...your dad said we need to check on the vines in row twenty-seven, stir the big vat of fermenting wine, and make sure the barrels aren’t leaking...” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “I meant _other_ than working.” 

“Oh!” Beverly grinned. “If we do the work _first...._ ” she trailed a hand down his chest. “Mm, I like the way your mind works.” Jean-Luc started to jog off. “Where are you going?”

“The faster we get this stuff done, the sooner I can get you naked...”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically still underage.

Two PADDs arrived while the teenagers were left in charge of the vineyard containing their dormitory assignments and other details regarding their first semester at the Academy. Beverly frowned when she looked at hers. “The pre-med dorm is so far away from yours! We’ll never see each other!” 

“Don’t be silly. I’m sure we’ll still see each other. We’ll have some classes together – look at our schedules. “ Beverly studied the PADDs side-by-side and was relieved to see they shared five classes. “Oh look, we can have lunch together on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and dinner together every day except for Thursday.” He smirked. “Unless you get a better offer.” 

“Nah. I don’t want to date anyone. Too complicated.”

“Complicated?”

“You know what I mean.” She nudged his shoulder. “Besides, we have a good thing going.”

“Mm, indeed.” He leaned over and kissed her lightly. “I won’t date either, then.”

“Good.”

“Good?” Jean-Luc threw her a questioning look. 

“Ah...I mean...good for you?” He grinned. “There’s a supply list in here, too. Everything that will be waiting for us in our dorms.” His eyes scanned the list. “Wow. They even supply the boots.” 

“Well, sure. They want everyone to match, don’t they?” Beverly rolled her eyes at Jean-Luc

“Hmm. True.” 

“Hey it says I can have an optional lab coat as a pre-med student. I think I might buy one.” He grinned. “You must let me get it for you as a present.” 

“Maybe. But it’s _your_ birthday in a few weeks, not mine. Mine isn’t until October. Speaking of, what do you want?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I don’t know. No one ever asked me that before other than my parents.” Beverly pursed her lips. “I’ll think of something.” 

###

It was Jean-Luc’s birthday, and Beverly couldn’t wait to give him his present. She had snuck off to the village with Marie the week before and had found something in the local antique shop. Of course, Marie had introduced Beverly as Jean-Luc’s girlfriend, so the shopkeeper even gave it to her at a steep discount. Beverly entered Jean-Luc’s bedroom carrying a breakfast tray – cups of coffee and croissants, with a small candle stuck in one. “Jean-Luc, wake up!” 

“Mmph?” Jean-Luc kept his eyes closed and rolled over.

“Happy Birthday!” Jean-Luc cracked an eye open. “Happy birthday,” he mumbled before closing his eyes once more. Beverly laughed. “No, not mine... _yours_. I have coffee.”

“Mm, why didn’t you open with that?” Jean-Luc grinned and sat up. He rolled his eyes when he saw the small candle. “What’s this?”

“Happy birthday!” 

“Thank you.” Jean-Luc closed his eyes and blew out the candle, then frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“My wish didn’t come true yet.”

“What did you wish for?” 

“You to be in this bed with me!” Beverly laughed and climbed in next to him. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “Hmm. Almost. I wished for you to be naked...” Beverly smacked his chest. “Later. I have plans for today.”

“You do?” Beverly nodded. “Uh-huh. Lunch with your family to celebrate, and then you’re mine for dinner.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Can’t wait.”

Beverly disappeared sometime around four in the afternoon with a promise to be back later. She had been secretive all day, and had even chased him out of the kitchen while she helped his mother prepare lunch. He wondered what she was up to, but he tried not to think about it and picked up the new tome of Shakespeare his mother had given him. She knew he had become fascinated with the bard, and she had found him a complete works. He thumbed through to the sonnets and read a few while he waited for Beverly, trying to memorise some of the more romantic sounding ones to repeat to Beverly. He frowned slightly. He supposed romantic poetry wouldn’t be appropriate for them, but he wanted to share it with her nevertheless. 

Beverly dashed into the house, stuck her head in the lounge and told Jean-Luc to be ready in a half hour, then disappeared up into her bedroom. Jean-Luc shrugged but went upstairs and changed into a nicer shirt just in case they were going out. Beverly knocked on his door and he opened it and smiled. She was wearing a sundress that showed off her sun-kissed shoulders, and her hair fell in a long sheet of red and gold down her back. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “You look nice. Is there an occasion?” Beverly rolled her eyes and shoved against his shoulder. “Come with me, please.”

Beverly walked him across the property to the barn and up into the loft, where she had set up a picnic for his birthday supper. They would have a view of the sky as the colours changed later in the evening and if they stayed longer they would watch the stars start to wink into sight. He grinned. “I love it. Thank you. This is perfect.”

“Hmm. Would you like your present?”

“You mean this isn’t it? An evening alone with my best friend?” Beverly laughed and pulled out an odd shaped package. “Nope. Happy eighteenth birthday. I hope you like this.” Jean-Luc tore off the wrapping and grinned. “An antique telescope? This is amazing. Thank you!” He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “You really like it? Because if you _didn’t_....” Beverly untied the shoulder straps on her dress and let it pool to her feet. “You can have _this_.” Jean-Luc’s mouth went dry.

“Um. Can I have both?” 

###

The sky streaked from pink ,to purple, to inky black as the stars came out. Jean-Luc kissed Beverly’s temple. “I guess we should probably go back inside.” Beverly frowned.

“We haven’t had our supper yet! Besides, go look in the corner.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows but crawled over to the corner of the loft. “Sleeping bags?” Beverly nodded. “I thought we could sleep under the stars tonight.” 

“Up here or...” Jean-Luc gestured to the small window in the loft. Beverly grinned. “Let’s go for a moonlight picnic and find a good place. I’ll pack up the picnic if you carry the sleeping bags.” He nodded and she began placing their food back into the basket. “Hmm. Should have brought a cardigan along.” Jean-Luc dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. “I’m _sure_ I can keep you warm.”

Jean-Luc expertly zipped the two bags into one big bag suitable for snuggling and after they enjoyed their late picnic, Jean-Luc made love to his best friend under the stars before they cuddled together and looked at the stars as they drifted off to sleep. 

Jean-Luc nudged Beverly awake just before dawn so they could watch the sunrise together. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.” Beverly blushed. “Want to have an early morning dip?” 

“The water will be cold.” Beverly grinned. “I know how we can warm up.”

###

Beverly laughed at the tabby kitten who kept jumping into her footlocker. “No you don’t. I can’t take you with me to the Academy!” Beverly moved the kitten to her bed and the kitten let out a small mew and Beverly laughed. “Yes, exactly.”

Jean-Luc appeared in the doorway. “Who are you talking to?”

“This kitten.” Beverly scratched the grey kitten under its chin. Jean-Luc scooped up the small cat. “You’re supposed to be in the kitchen with your maman, little kitten.” 

“She wants to come to the Academy with us.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Maybe next year when we have our own place. What do you say, little kitten? Do you want Beverly to be your human?” Beverly laughed. “She’ll forget all about me by then.”

“Hmm. So how’s the packing going?”

“How do I have so much stuff? I didn’t have this much when I arrived.” Jean-Luc shrugged. “No, but you’ve been staying here for eight months. We went shopping a few times. Maman gave you a few things. Do you need to take it all with you?” It was Beverly’s turn to shrug. “I guess not. I mean, your mother said this was my room.”

Yvette appeared with a blanket across her arms. “I brought you something to take with you, Beverly. I started knitting it when you arrived. I hope you like blue.”

“I’m going to be wearing a blue uniform for the rest of my life, so I’d better.” Beverly unfolded the blanket. “Oh, this is gorgeous. Thank you, Yvette. I’ll put it on my bed.” Yvette spied the kitten in Jean-Luc’s arms and picked it up. “You’re missing lunchtime, little miss. Come on, let’s go see your maman.” Yvette gave her son a kiss on the cheek. “Your blanket is on your bed, before you ask.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Thanks Maman.” 

“Is our transportation sorted?” Jean-Luc nodded. “We’ll take a shuttle to London, and then meet up with the other European Cadets for a shuttle.” Beverly’s eyes went wide. “London? Ooh, will we have time to sightsee?” 

“Considering I arranged for us to arrive three days before the shuttle departs, yes.” Beverly threw her arms around Jean-Luc. “Thank you!” 

“I didn’t book us an extravagant room. I hope that’s alright with you.” Beverly nodded. “As long as it has a bed and a shower, I’m happy.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Well, I did a _little_ better than that.” 

###

Beverly grinned as they sped under the English Channel. “This is so cool! You know, I’ve done more travelling in the past few months with you than I have in my entire life.” 

“Ah, but you not only lived on Luna, you lived on two other planets. I’m just a poor Terran boy.” Beverly leaned into his shoulder. “You’ll do.”

When they arrived at the hub in London, Jean-Luc made arrangements for their footlockers to be stored until their shuttle to the Academy and they shouldered their smaller bags. Jean-Luc had only ever been to London once, but he was going to have to act as a guide for Beverly. “We can take the underground...it’s hundreds of years old, or we can walk on the surface.” 

“Can we walk? I want to see _everything!_ ” Jean-Luc chuckled and reached for her hand. “Sure. I have a map on my PADD with directions to our hotel.” 

Beverly gasped and tugged on Jean-Luc’s hand constantly on their walk, but she stopped dead in her tracks outside Westminster Abbey. 

“This building....it’s _stunning_. And it’s centuries old?” Jean-Luc nodded. “I think it dates back to the eleventh century.” Beverly gasped. “Wow! Can we go inside?” 

“Sure.” They joined the snaking queue and Beverly was soon walking around the old church with her hand clasped in Jean-Luc’s admiring the building. Jean-Luc thought the building was nice, but it was Beverly’s reaction that he really was enjoying. Until Beverly arrived in La Barre, she had never been around old buildings before – even the homes on Caldos were all fairly new compared to the buildings in La Barre and in London. Beverly was simply fascinated. 

After the tour of the Abbey, They walked along from the former Parliament Square down to Trafalgar Square and Beverly stared up at Nelson’s Column. “And they brought him home in a whisky barrel?”

“That’s what the books say.” Beverly wrinkled her nose. “Kind of a waste of good whisky.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “Well, he was important. I’ll lend you a history book if you want.” 

“Hmm. I’m not sure I’ll have time to read it. Maybe over winter break?”

“Sure. Are you ready to head to our hotel now?” Beverly nodded. “Show me to my bed!”

###

Beverly flopped onto the bed in their hotel with a happy sigh. “What an amazing day!”

“And we have two more to fill with sights.” Beverly grinned and let out a yawn. “I’m tired!”

“There’s a food slot in the corner. Should we replicate some dinner instead of going out?” Beverly rolled over onto her stomach. “Would it be rude of me if I said yes?”

“Not at all.” He walked over to the replicator and studied it. “Uh..Bev? This one looks different from the one in the dorms. What do I do?” Beverly laughed and came over to the replicator. “Instead of speaking to this one, you have to pick what you want off the menu. There’s an instruction sheet on the table.” Beverly studied the sheet. “Oh, it says they can only offer a limited menu on demand in the rooms, but if we want anything else, they can deliver it.” Beverly scrolled through until she found a meal. “There. Fish and chips. It’s marked as being a British dish. We’ll try that.” 

The replicator whirled to life and Beverly laughed when a paper carton containing a long piece of battered fish appeared resting on top of a mountain of fried potatoes. “Well, this looks like a lot of food.”

“Hmm. Indeed.” The two sat down at the table to eat. Beverly had only managed to eat about half her meal, while Jean-Luc ate slightly more. She tossed the rest into the recycler and ordered a pot of tea for them to share. They spent the rest of the evening watching a holovideo on the in-room entertainment center, cuddled in bed. 

###

“Your footlockers, as long as they have been appropriately labelled, will be delivered straight to your dorms. For our first years on this flight, once you find your rooms and change into your uniforms, there will be orientation. You’ll find a schedule in your rooms. Be sure to attend the mixers to get to know your fellow cadets,” Beverly and Jean-Luc grinned at each other and Beverly rolled her eyes. She wasn’t about to attend another mixer. “The flight will take three hours. Sit back and enjoy your last three hours of freedom!” With a wave, the commander who had been speaking with them moved to the front of the shuttle. 

Jean-Luc squeezed Beverly’s hand. “Well, here we go. Are you ready?”

“Not really. Are you?”

“Hardly.”

“Jean-Luc?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s skip the mixers...” Jean-Luc chuckled. “You read my mind, Bev.” 

###

Jean-Luc was surprised to hear his comm unit dinging at him. “Um...Hello? No, that’s not right. Uh..Computer....answer?” Nothing happened. He frowned. “Oh! Computer: on screen?” 

Beverly’s laughing face filled his small screen. _“Couldn’t figure out how to turn it on, could you?”_

“Nope. So what brings you to call me...I only dropped you off an hour ago.” He grinned.

“ _Ah, what can I say? I miss you already. It’s weird, we spent practically every minute together and now we might barely see each other.”_ He smiled at Beverly on the screen. “I’m sure we’ll manage and find time for each other.” 

_“I just wish I didn’t live so far away. We won’t be able to eat breakfast together.”_ She frowned. “ We’ll work something out. So is that the only reason you called?”

“ _No, I wanted to know if you wanted to get dinner with me tonight? I found Sora – she’s in pre-med too. She said she thinks Jack and Walker are both in your building.”_

“I haven’t looked in the directory yet, but it would be nice to see them again. Alright. Which mess?”

“ _Nolan. According to Sora’s brother, it has the best food.”_

“Alright, I’ll see you there at six?”

 _“Ok. Howard out.”_ Jean-Luc watched the screen fade out and grinned when he heard a voice from his doorway. “Hey Johnny. I thought I heard your voice.”

“It’s Jean-Luc, but I guess Johnny is ok.” Walker sheepishly grinned. “Sorry. So were you just talking to your girlfriend?”

“Beverly, actually.” Walker raised his eyebrow. “The red-head from the exams? Go you!” 

“Err...”

“I couldn’t help but overhear you’re going to meet her and Sora for dinner tonight?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes and nodded. _Well, at least that saves me from having to look him up in the directory._ “Great! I’ll grab Jack...and uh...Marsden is on our floor, too.” Jean-Luc groaned.

“I know. I don’t really want to invite him, do you?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “Not really. Are you planning on attending the mixer tonight?”

“Nah.”

“Beverly and I aren’t either. Perhaps we can do our own thing and see who else we can find from our little group from the exams.”

By the time Jean-Luc, Walker, and Jack were crossing the campus, they had met a few more people, a red-headed boy named Corey, his girlfriend Marta, and unfortunately, Marsden. He had followed them out of the building and no one had the nerve to tell him to go away.

When Beverly saw who was with the group, she groaned but walked up to Jean-Luc and wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Missed you.” Jean-Luc grinned and touched his forehead to hers. “It’s only been a few hours.” 

“Yeah, I know.”

“Hey Johnny, who’s your girlfriend?”

“Bev, you remember Walker and Jack. I’d like you to meet Corey and Marta, and well, I’m sure you remember Marsden, too.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Beverly then greeted Walker and Jack with hugs and ignored Marsden. “Sora found a few more people in our dorm and went inside to grab us a large table.” 

“Great. I’m starving!”

###

Beverly woke up on her birthday with a smile on her face. She rolled over and gave Jean-Luc a kiss. “It’s my birthday today!”

“Is it? Is _that_ why I spent the night here last night?” Beverly laughed. “Come on, I know you made plans.” 

“Maaaaybe.”

“Are we going out tonight? Please tell me we’re going out tonight?” Jean-Luc grinned at her enthusiasm and nodded. “We’re going out tonight.” 

“Good. I hate being the last one to become legal.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “So did we.” It had been a thorn in Beverly’s side for the past two months that most of her friends were able to go out to the bars and clubs but she wasn’t able to since she hadn’t had her eighteenth birthday yet. Jean-Luc hadn’t gone out much either, preferring to stay back to hang out with Beverly when they had free weekends. Beverly jumped out of bed. “Do I get a present?”

“Impatient, aren’t you? You know, if you open it now, there won’t be anything later...” Beverly pouted at her best friend. “No?”

“Well, alright, there might be.” She grinned as Jean-Luc handed her a small box. She tore into the paper and gasped when she opened the box. “I love it!”

“I thought the colour was pretty. It’s not much, but...” Beverly immediately put on the necklace and fingered the turquoise coloured crystal heart. “I love it. It’s beautiful. Thank you.” 

“ _You’re_ beautiful.” Beverly blushed.

###

Beverly giggled as she accepted another drink from Jack. “Thanks.”

“Anything for the birthday girl,” Jack kissed her cheek and Beverly giggled. “On the lips! It’s my birthday!” 

“Won’t Johnny be mad?”

“Why?”

“Isn’t he your boyfriend?”

“Noooope.” Jack smiled. “Well, in that case,” he gave Beverly a deep kiss and she kissed him back. He wasn’t a bad kisser, but then again, she only had Jean-Luc to compare anyone to. She giggled as he broke off the kiss and she went to find Jean-Luc. Jack looked on with a puzzled look as Beverly started making out with the man she just told him she wasn’t dating. 

“Do you know what’s going on with them?” Walker shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. They both claim they’re not dating, but...”

“They sure look like they are.” 

“Yeah.”

Beverly was perched in Jean-Luc’s lap in the booth the friends were occupying and she was trying to unbutton his shirt. “Bev...I think someone has had too much to drink on her birthday.”

“Noooo, I’m fine!” Jean-Luc chuckled. “You’re trying to take off my shirt in the club.” 

“I wanted to admire your chest. It’s a nice chest. You should take off your shirt and show it to me.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I think we’re done. Time to go home.” 

“Aww...but Walker hasn’t given me a birthday kiss yet!” Jean-Luc looked over at his friend and grinned. “Better kiss her, Wal.” 

“Alright.” Walker rose and walked around to Beverly and planted a kiss on her lips, but her eyes were closed. “Uhm, Johnny? I think she just passed out. Or fell asleep?” Jean-Luc gently lifted Beverly into his arms as he rose. “I think you’re right. I guess it’s time to go...I think they frown on people passing out in the booths. How much did she drink?” Walker shrugged.

“I told Sora I’d walk her back to her dorm tonight. Are you taking Bev home?” 

“I don’t know,” Jean-Luc gently jostled Beverly in his arms. “Bev, sweetheart. Where are you sleeping tonight?”

“With you?” Walker laughed. “And you guys aren’t dating.” 

Jean-Luc shook his head. “My place or yours?”

“Don’t care.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at Walker. “We’ll walk with you.” He gently set Beverly on her feet. “Are you able to walk?”

“I dunno.” Beverly took a few steps and stumbled in her heels. She kicked them off. “Yeah, I can walk now.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes and retrieved her heels. 

###

Beverly woke up with a pounding headache the following morning. “Owww....hypospray?” She pressed her hand to her forehead. “Please tell me you have a hypospray for me.” Jean-Luc kissed her temple. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.” Beverly made a face at Jean-Luc. “How much did I drink last night?”

“Oh, I’d say just this side of ‘too much’.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Ugh, stop being so cheerful.” Jean-Luc got out of the bed and went to the replicator. He came back with a fizzing glass of clear liquid. “Trust me. This will be better than a hypospray.” 

Beverly eyed the dubious drink. “If you say so,” she took a large gulp. “Oh, this is really disgusting.”

“Yes. But it’ll make you feel better.” 

“Hmm.” Beverly glanced under the covers and realised she was wearing her panties and her camisole. “I take it you undressed me last night? Because I don’t remember getting undressed.” Jean-Luc nodded. “I did. I even tried to remove your makeup for you while you slept.” She smiled. “Thanks. So....did I embarrass myself last night?”

“Not really. You kissed Jack, then kissed me, then asked Walker to kiss you but you passed out before he could.”

“I remember kissing Jack.” Beverly blushed. “Hey, if you want to kiss Jack I can....” Beverly snaked an arm around him. “No. I told you, no dating. Just you.” Jean-Luc smiled and patted her arm. “Ok, Bev. How about some coffee?”

“Coffee sounds amazing.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING FOR ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED RAPE

Beverly kissed Jean-Luc before leaving his dorm for the night. They had an enjoyable evening at the symphony, of all places, and she had returned to his quarters to pick up a PADD with an assignment she had left there before crossing the campus back to her own dorm. She often slept over at Jean-Luc’s, but had decided to go home since she had a lab early the next day. Most of their classmates assumed by now that the couple was together, and neither did anything to correct them _._ Besides, Beverly preferred spending all her free time with Jean-Luc. She realised this probably cut her off from meeting men to date, but if she was honest, she really didn’t have time for dating.  
  
Jean-Luc had just finished carrying his laundry to the Laundry and Clothing Reclamation and Cleaning Centre in the basement since Beverly had reminded him before they had gone out that his pile was getting rather large when he heard a shriek and the sound of ripping fabric coming from the games room, followed by a gruff sounding voice and the sound of a slap. Jean-Luc heard a muffled cry after the slap and decided someone was in trouble. He wasn’t sure what he could do to help, but he headed towards the voices nonetheless.   
  
He entered the games room and gasped. Laying face down across the pool table and completely naked was a red-headed woman. A male cadet Jean-Luc recognized as Marsden leered over the woman with his trousers down. Jean-Luc heard the woman whimper and with a start realised it was Beverly. He saw red.   
  
"MARSDEN!!!" Jean-Luc shouted and drew back his fist, ready to punch. Fortunately, the shout had startled the cadet and he lost his grip on Beverly. Before Jean-Luc got the chance to punch, Beverly rolled away and kicked Marsden square in the crotch. Jean-Luc winced as Marsden crumbled to the floor.   
  
Jean-Luc hastily removed his uniform jacket and passed it to Beverly so she could cover herself. "Are you alright? Did he...?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. You arrived before..." she broke down in a sob and Jean-Luc pulled her against his chest. "Shh. I'm here. It's going to be ok. Do you want to call security? They'll throw him the Brig and probably kick him out of the Academy." Beverly shook her head. "No. I just want him to leave me alone."  
  
"I can arrange that." Jean-Luc aimed a kick at Marsden's stomach. "You heard her. Get out of here and stay away from Beverly. And me." Marsden leered at Beverly one more time before leaving the room, muttering about Beverly being a tease and a prude.   
  
Jean-Luc put his arm around Beverly’s shoulders. "Come on, I’ll walk you home. Let’s get you into bed."  
  
"I can't. " Jean-Luc looked at her puzzled. “Why not?”

“I’m not doing the walk of shame wearing your jacket and nothing else! What will people think?! And....I don’t want to be alone,” her last words came out in a whisper as another sob broke and Jean-Luc drew her against his chest once more. “Shhhhh. You’ll stay with me tonight. And any other night you need to. Who cares about the regulations.”   
  
"Thanks,” she smiled at her best friend, “but I can't walk through the halls like this. Your jacket doesn't completely cover me. Where are my clothes?"  
  
Jean-Luc frowned, but started looking around the room. He picked up a torn pair of blue panties. "Well, these are no help "  
  
"Aw, those were my favourite." He grinned and stuffed them into his pocket.  
  
"Mine too." He continued to hunt and he finally found her dress, ripped. "He did a number on your dress, too."  
  
Beverly frowned. "Great. Now what?"   
  
"I don't know. Could you maybe tie your dress around your waist? No, that won't work....hang on." Jean-Luc began to unbuckle his trousers. "Jean-Luc, what are you doing?"  
  
"Giving you my trousers. It'll just look like I came down to get you in my boxers and you’re in your uniform if anyone looks. None of the guys would bat an eye."

“Unless they look at the insignia. ” Jean-Luc snorted. “Trust me, when they see a man walking a woman back to his room, they _aren’t_ looking at her insignia.” Beverly cracked a smile.  
  
" Your uniform is a little big, but It'll do." Beverly looked at the floor, where her PADD lay smashed. "Oh no. My PADD!"  
  
"What happened to it?"  
  
"I tried to hit him with it and he threw it on the floor and stepped on it." Jean-Luc grinned. "That's my girl." He examined the pieces. "I think I can extract your files off the chip."   
  
"Really? I have a paper due tomorrow. That’s the only reason I actually came back to your room tonight after the concert, I remembered I left my PADD."  
  
"Yeah. Come up to my room." She grinned. "I planned on it.”

Back in Jean-Luc’s dorm, Beverly changed into a pair of his pyjamas. “Ugh, I feel gross and dirty.” 

“You can use the shower if you want. Your shampoo bar is in there.” She grinned. She spent so much time sleeping at Jean-Luc’s it had been easier for her to leave some of her toiletries behind. “You don’t by any chance have any of my underwear here, do you?” 

“Check the drawers. If it wound up in my laundry bag, then yes.” She grinned. “You know, if you ever meet someone else, you’re going to have a _lot_ of explaining to do...” Beverly said as she found a few pairs of her panties tucked in with his boxers and a camisole with his t-shirts. He turned to her with a grin. “Nah, I’ll just tell her I like to wear women’s knickers.” Beverly shook her head and glanced over at his desk, where the parts of her PADD were spread out. “Any luck?”

“Working on it, Bev. Was there anything else on the PADD you need to keep?” She shrugged. “I dunno. Probably a few other documents. Some messages. Guess I’ll have to get a new one.” She sighed. Replacing her PADD was going to eat into her funds. While the Academy had issued a PADD to every cadet on arrival, replacements had to be purchased. Jean-Luc waved his hand at her. “You can borrow mine.”

“Don’t you need it for class?” 

“Nah, I’ll be alright.” Jean-Luc was careful not to mention he would just go and get a new one. He knew how sensitive Beverly was when it came to their financial standings. Even though Jean-Luc never flaunted his family money – unlike Marsden who constantly bragged about his parent’s shipping business – Beverly still knew his family was well-off after spending months at the Vineyard. 

“It’s alright, I have the money your mother gave me for helping with the gift baskets.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Maman is very fair. Papa never saw a reason to pay Robert and I for our help in the vineyard when we were kids, but Maman said we were doing the work of the field hands, so we should be paid. It was only ever pocket money, but if you saved it up, you could afford a model starship by the end of the season. It’s how I got most of my collection.” Beverly grinned.

“She paid me a _little_ more than pocket money. But I had fun helping and honestly, it wasn’t like work at all. Making preserves and the cakes was fun. _And_ , Yvette said I could help with the winter chutneys over break.” This made Jean-Luc grin even wider. “So, you’re coming home with me?” She nodded. “If that’s alright.”

“Of course it is. But don’t spend your money on a new PADD. Just take mine and I’ll get this one fixed. If I can’t fix it, I bet Walker can. Why don’t you go shower and when you’re done, we’ll have a hot chocolate and I might even have your essay extracted by then.” 

“Great!” Beverly kissed his cheek. “You really _are_ too good to me.”

###

Beverly emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. “Remind me to get a sonic dryer for your bathroom. This is going to take _ages_ to dry.” 

“Ask the replicator. I think I have enough credits on it.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Fine, but remind me to pay you back later. It’s not like _you_ need one.” He grinned and held up a chip. “I _think_ I have your data extracted. I just need to pop it into my PADD. Hopefully, I got everything important, but you’ll have to double check it.” 

“Thanks.” Beverly carried the dryer back into the bathroom and grabbed her spare hairbrush off his dresser. _No wonder people assume Jean-Luc and I are dating. I suppose it’s just better this way. Less distraction._

When Beverly returned with dry hair and Jean-Luc’s dressing gown wrapped around her waist, Jean-Luc handed her a cup of hot chocolate and his PADD. “You might want to make sure the whole thing is there. I had to fix a few glitches, but I think I got it all. I didn’t want to pry and look at your personal files” Beverly smiled. She had a few diary entries on her PADD. It wouldn’t have mattered if Jean-Luc had read them, but she appreciated him respecting her privacy.

“Wow. I thought you didn’t want to go into Engineering?” Jean-Luc sipped his own cup of cocoa. “I haven’t decided. I like Stellar Cartography, and Engineering, and Archaeology is pretty fun too. Although,” he wrinkled his nose, “I suppose there isn’t much call for an Archaeologist in Starfleet.” 

“Hmm. But if you’re an explorer....” she shrugged. “I don’t know. You still have time to decide. I’m pretty well locked into medicine.” Beverly skimmed her documents. “It’s all here. You are the bestest friend in the world!” She kissed him and he grinned. “Just doing my job, ma’am,” and he tipped an imaginary hat brim making her laugh.

When they got into bed a little while later, Beverly pressed her face into his neck. “Thank you for rescuing me.” Jean-Luc turned his head to one side to kiss her. “You don’t have to thank me. Besides, you were the one who kicked him in the crotch. Remind me _never_ to piss you off!” Beverly grinned, but then her face turned sober. “No. I couldn’t get away from him. It was awful.” 

“Do you want to talk about it? And are you _sure_ you don’t want to get security involved? We have your ripped clothing and you have me as a witness.” She shook her head. “Do you know how many cases of assault get thrown out because the man claims he did nothing wrong?” 

“No, but we have your dress....” 

“Doesn’t matter. The court will say I ripped my dress myself, or you ripped it. Since he didn’t.....you know...there’s no semen in me to do a DNA test on.” Jean-Luc wrapped his arm tighter around her. “Much as I want him kicked out, I’m glad he didn’t get any farther.” Beverly shuddered. “Me too. Jean-Luc...I don’t _ever_ want to be in that position. It made me feel so vulnerable. I was so scared.” 

“That’s understandable. How did you end up in the rec room?” Beverly sighed. “I was stupid. Marsden saw me as I was nearly to the door and asked if he could talk to me about something. I assumed it was from class so I agreed and I wasn’t paying attention as I followed him into the basement. That’s when he grabbed me. He kissed me and told me it wasn’t fair that Johnny – his words, not mine – had me. Apparently, I’m too good for you. So I told him no and I wasn’t interested and that’s when he ripped my dress. I tried to hit him with my PADD, but he took it from my hands and threw it on the ground. He pushed me down onto the table and then...” Beverly paused to wipe a tear away and Jean-Luc gently kissed her cheek. “Shhh, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to or if it’s too uncomfortable.” 

“No, I need to.” She took a deep breath. “That’s when he ripped my knickers off. If you hadn’t arrived...would you have found me? What were you doing down there?”

“Taking my laundry to the LCRCC. You said the pile was getting big.” She grinned. “Well, thanks for listening to me.” She pecked his lips and pressed into him further. “He touched me.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“He grabbed at my breasts and he pinched them horribly,” She guided his hand under the T-shirt she had borrowed and rested his hand on her breast. Jean-Luc gently rubbed. “Shhh, he won’t hurt you now. Do you want me to....” She nodded. “Make me feel good?”

“Can you take off your shirt?” She slipped her arms out and tugged her shirt off. Jean-Luc tried not to gasp at the angry bruise already forming on her breast. “Beverly, why didn’t you remove the bruise when you were in the bathroom? There’s a regen in the first aid kit under the sink.”

“I deserved it.” Jean-Luc frowned. “No, sweetheart. Not _ever_. You don’t deserve to be hurt by anyone.” He pressed his lips to the mark lightly. “Come on, let’s remove it.” He gently tugged her into a seated position. “Should I carry you?” He slid an arm under her legs and she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her into the bathroom and sat her on the counter while he rummaged under his sink for the first aid kit his mother had insisted on packing for him. “Do you want me to do it for you?” 

“Please?” 

“Sure,” Jean-Luc activated the device and passed it over her breast, where it bathed her skin in a blue glow. “How long do I use it?”

“It has a timer. When it shuts off, it’ll be...it’ll be healed.” He levelled a gaze at her. “Healed or gone?”

“Gone,” she whispered. Jean-Luc leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “What can I do to help?”

“Just....just love me. Please?” Jean-Luc’s heart ached. Of course, he loved her. Beverly was his best friend, his first kiss, his first _everything_....did he love her romantically or just as a friend? 

“I do love you, I hope you know that.” She smiled. “I love you too. You’re my best friend.” 

Beverly wanted to make love that night. Jean-Luc had protested at first, suggesting they should wait, but Beverly insisted. She said she needed to feel something good, so Jean-Luc agreed. She broke down in tears in the middle, and all Jean-Luc could do was hold her close while she found her release. 

###

“How are you feeling this morning, sweetheart?” Beverly stretched. “Ok, I guess. Physically, I mean. Well, that’s not true. I ache a little.” 

“I know. I meant emotionally.” Beverly sighed. “I don’t know. Can I just stay here today? Can we just stay here and cuddle all day?” 

“And skip lessons?” She nodded. “I’ll tell the instructors I’m not feeling well.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “They’ll tell you to go visit the infirmary. Or they’ll send a medic to your dorm room.” She frowned. “Are you _sure_ I can’t skip today? I don’t want to see anyone except for you.” 

“The only thing I can think of is if we report the incident to Security. Then, there would be a report on file you could use....” Beverly sighed. “Fine. Can I borrow a uniform again?” 

“For now, sure. Do you want me to ask them to send a female officer? Would it be easier?” She nodded. “And you’ll....you’ll stay with me?” 

“Sure.” 

Jean-Luc sent a message to his first instructor, letting him know he would be missing class to speak with Security to report an incident and urged Beverly to send the same message to her lab instructor. He called Security while Beverly was in the shower and explained his friend needed a female officer to report an incident of sexual harassment to and then asked if they could wait until after eight to make sure the officer wasn’t seen visiting Jean-Luc. This way, it hopefully wouldn’t get back to Marsden before he could get arrested.

Jean-Luc retrieved the regen from under his sink and checked it’s memory recall. The regen unit always took an image scan of the area it was repairing, so Beverly’s bruised breast would be it it’s memory. He wondered if there was security footage in the rec room and if there _was_ , if Marsden knew about it enough to erase it. He crossed his fingers.

Jean-Luc replicated a cup of coffee and a pastry for Beverly when she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in his uniform. She had rolled up his sleeves and used a belt to cinch the waist. “I’m a mess.” 

He kissed her forehead. “After we talk to security, if you want to stay here I can go to your dorm and get you some things. Do you want to stay here for a few days?” 

“Please. I know the bed is a bit cramped for two....” He shook his head, smiling. “You’re small. We fit. Just hope my RA doesn’t find out.” While there were no rules for overnight guests, if you had a guest for more than a few nights, you could get written up.

“Ugh, how soon until we can get our own place?” Beverly pouted, and Jean-Luc couldn’t help but think how kissable she looked when she pouted.

“It’s only November. We have to live on campus until June.” She sighed. “Why did they have to give me a room all the way on the other side of the campus from you?” 

“Because you’re in pre-med, so you’re closer to the hospital.” 

“Stop being so right. It’s infuriating!” She grinned. “Sorry.” 

Their banter was interrupted by a rap on the door, and Jean-Luc gave Beverly’s hand a squeeze before he opened the door.

“Cadet Picard?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Lieutenant Caruthers. You said you had a friend who needed to speak with me?” He nodded. “Please come in. I’m afraid there isn’t much seating....” The Lieutenant nodded. “It’s fine. I’ll stand.” She saw Beverly and held out her hand. “Are you the friend?”

“Yes. Cadet Beverly Howard. Pre-med.” Caruthers glanced at her uniform. “You’re out of uniform, Cadet. That isn’t a medical uniform.” Beverly shook her head and blushed. “No. I didn’t have any other clothing with me so I borrowed a uniform from Jean-Luc. I slept here last night.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” Beverly shook her head. “He’s my best friend.” 

“I see. Would you please tell me what happened last night?” Beverly swallowed and Jean-Luc stood behind his desk chair with his hand on her shoulder giving it a squeeze while she re-told the events of the previous night, fortunately without any tears. “And do you have your dress and underwear?” Beverly nodded and Jean-Luc retrieved them from the bottom of his closet where Beverly had thrown them the night before. He passed them to the Lieutenant before placing his hand back on Beverly’s shoulder. She reached up and patted his hand. She needed his strength.

“And Cadet Picard interrupted before he had penetrated you?” Beverly nodded. “I know it will be hard to prosecute without DNA evidence...” 

“Not necessarily. We have recording devices in all public areas.” Caruthers took out her PADD and began tapping on it. Her eyes went wide when she found footage of the assault. “I’ve just copied the files onto my PADD. Cadet Howard, “ her face softened and she reached out a hand to pat Beverly’s. “Beverly. I know this footage shows you naked, but can I show this to my superior? His name is Commander Barnes.” Beverly nodded, but a tear slipped from her eye at the thought of someone watching it. “I’m sorry, Beverly. I need the Commander to view this in order to charge Marsden.” 

“How far back does the recording footage go, Lieutenant?” Jean-Luc spoke up. “As far back as we need to. Why do you ask?” 

“Can you get footage from the dorm used for the cadet exams last year?” 

“Likely, why?”

“You’ll see footage of a party – the mixer held for the students taking the exam. And you’ll see Cadet Marsden....well, you’ll see if you check the footage what he did to another girl.” Caruthers nodded and began typing details into her PADD. “Is this girl a cadet?”

“No. She almost didn’t finish her exam because of the experience and she unfortunately failed, but she’s hoping to pass it this year.” Caruthers nodded. “What is this?”

“He called it ‘Seven Minutes on Risa’. Most of us hadn’t heard of it, but apparently it’s a game where you go into a closet for seven minutes and can do anything....Beverly and I only talked when we went in, and I think Sora and Jack pretended to do something, too. But Marsden...Mina wanted to stop but he held her face to him and forced her to continue until he finished.” 

“Yes, I can see from the footage here. Where did you, Cadet Howard, and Miss Mina go after?”

“Back to the rooms. Beverly’s room was across from mine, and Mina was down the hall. Mina shut herself in her room as soon as we got back.” Caruthers nodded. “Thank you. This helps build a case against him. Do you have anything else to add?”

“Oh, yes. He bruised Beverly’s breast,” Jean-Luc blushed when he said that and Caruthers softly smiled. Obviously, there was more to their story than just friends. “Is your breast still bruised?”

“No,” Beverly shook her head. “Jean-Luc used a regen on it.” 

“But it’s in the memory for the device. I checked.” Jean-Luc passed over the device with a sheepish smile. “My mother insisted on a full first aid kit when I moved.”

“Most mother’s do.” Caruthers transferred the data onto her PADD. “Anything else? Any other marks you noticed this morning.... _either of you_?” 

“Beverly has finger marks on the back of her neck and a handprint on her backside.” Caruthers nodded. “I’m sorry, Cadet Howard, may I see the marks?” Beverly slowly nodded and removed Jean-Luc’s uniform jacket. Jean-Luc brushed her hair aside gently. “Sorry, sweetheart. Lieutenant, you can see the marks here from where he was holding Beverly down. I only noticed when Beverly tied her hair up last night.” Caruthers nodded. “Cadet Howard, may I record images of the marks?” Beverly nodded. “I’m sorry, I need verbal confirmation.”

“Yes,” Beverly squeaked out. Jean-Luc’s hand went back to hers and he squeezed it. “You’re doing great, Bev.” 

“And the one on your backside?” Beverly cringed and lowered her trousers and panties. “Cadet Picard, would you please place your hand over the mark so we can be sure it wasn’t a mark from a lover?” Jean-Luc and Beverly both flushed, but Jean-Luc held his hand over the mark showing his hand was much smaller than the one who had left the mark. When Caruthers had her eyes on her PADD typing more information, Jean-Luc gave Beverly’s bottom a quick caress before she pulled back on the borrowed uniform.

“Did he touch you anywhere else?” 

“He, put his finger inside me briefly. He...said....” Beverly flushed and curled into Jean-Luc. He kissed her temple “Bev, sweetheart, you need to tell Lieutenant Caruthers so she can make sure Marsden doesn’t hurt anyone else.” 

“Your boyfriend is right,” Jean-Luc flushed, but wasn’t going to correct the Lieutenant. “I can see the footage, but it doesn’t have any sound. Your testimony to me will help, and if I can record everything, it means you won’t have to appear before anyone else.” Beverly nodded. Jean-Luc sat on the chair and pulled her into his lap. He kissed her hair, trying to give her some extra strength. She relaxed in his arms and took a deep breath.

“He told me I was nice and tight and suggested Jean-Luc was....inadequate.” 

“I see. Cadet Picard, did you hear him make any comments about you?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No. I came in right as he was about to...penetrate Beverly. I shouted his name and was going to punch him but Beverly kicked him instead.” 

“Yes, in self defence. But I see you did kick him as well...” Jean-Luc flushed. “I was angry. He hurt Beverly. Am I in trouble?” 

“Hmm. And can you both go over what you did once you left the room? Cadet Picard, why did you remove your trousers?” 

“For Beverly to wear. My jacket didn’t cover her and when we found her torn clothing she needed to be covered up to walk through the hallways. We came back here and I lent Beverly some pyjamas.”

“I took a shower. Jean-Luc fixed my PADD...well, he extracted my documents. And then I asked him to...uhm...” Jean-Luc rubbed her arm and picked up the narrative for her. “We were intimate last night, if that matters.” Beverly blushed. She _hated_ putting her private life on display. 

“Thank you for your honesty. Cadet Howard, if we need to show this footage to anyone other than my superior we will pixilate your face and any visible private parts. We also will pixilate Cadet Picard as our only concern is showing Marsden. Cadet Picard, Marsden _could_ file an assault complaint against you, but given the circumstances.....I’d say your chances are slim. We will likely arrest him this afternoon. “

“Ok. Thank you.”

“Cadet Howard, Cadet Picard. I’m going to excuse the two of you from classes for the next three days. You will both be expected in class on Monday, but you may leave campus provided you let me know where I can reach you.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“La Barre, France. Comte and Comtesse Picard are my parents. We’ll...we’ll go home for a few days.” Caruthers raised her eyebrows but didn’t make any comment. Beverly rolled her eyes. “Show off. I see you neglected to tell Lieutenant Caruthers your title is also Comte....” Jean-Luc blushed. “You know I hate that. It’s just...how to reach my parents.”

“I’m just teasing.” Caruthers suppressed her grin. If those two _weren’t_ dating, she’d eat her badge.

“Right then,” Caruthers closed out of her PADD. “Why don’t you two make yourself scarce. Contact me when you are leaving campus and we’ll arrange to arrest Marsden after you’ve left. With any luck, he’ll be gone by the time you return. Does he know how to find you?” 

“Well, it’s not as if the Picard vineyard is hard to find, but I don’t think he knows Beverly lives with us...it’s too far for her to return to Caldos on breaks, so my mother offered her to stay at our home.” 

“Hmm. Well, if he _does_ try to contact you, please inform Starfleet and you local authority immediately.” 

“Yes, Sir.”

After Caruthers left, Jean-Luc threw a few items into a holdall, but he knew he still had plenty of clothing at home. “Should we stop by your room first?” Beverly nodded. “For one thing, I don’t think I want to travel in your uniform! Should we call your parents first?”

“I’ll call them from your room while you pack.” 

“Ok.”

###

Jean-Luc attempted to smile for his mother when her face filled the screen. Truthfully, he wasa bit relieved it was his mother who answered and not his father or brother. “Maman, Beverly and I are coming home for a few days if that’s alright?”

 _“You know you are both welcome home anytime you want, but it’s not December yet. Are you both alright?”_ Concern registered on Yvette’s face for her son and the girl she considered to be a daughter to her.

“I’m fine. Beverly....” Jean-Luc glanced behind at Beverly and she nodded her consent. “Beverly was assaulted last night.” Yvette gasped and covered her mouth. She silently asked her son if it had been sexual, and he nodded. “We’ve been released from the Academy until Monday and I thought a few days away would help....” Yvette nodded. _“I will see you two soon. Here, let me pay for a transporter beam. It will get you both here faster.”_

“Yvette, you don’t have to do that,” Beverly spoke up from behind Jean-Luc. 

_“Nonsense, my child. You will let a mother do what she wants.”_ Beverly only rolled her eyes at Jean-Luc. “Thank you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of assault

When they materialised outside the vineyard, Yvette pulled Beverly into her arms. “My poor girl. Come on, let’s get you settled.” 

“Thank you.” Beverly whispered before she started crying into Yvette’s shoulder.

“Bev?” 

“She’ll be alright, Jean-Luc. We’re going to have some girl talk. Why don’t you put both bags away in your room and make us a pot of tea? Beverly and I will be in the conservatory.”

“Yes, Maman.” Jean-Luc carried the bags into the house and then paused. His mother told him to put their bags in _his_ room. He grinned and did as he was told.

###

Yvette sat down next to Beverly on the settee facing the window. “You don’t have to tell me what happened unless you want to. I imagine you’ve already spoken about it more than once.” Beverly nodded through a hiccup. “I told Jean-Luc and Lieutenant....Car something? I forget her name, but she was with security.”

“Good. Was it a fellow Cadet?” 

“Yes. Marsden. We met him when we had our exams...he was kinda a jerk then too. He wanted us to play a silly kissing game and he practically forced this girl named Mina to....um....I don’t know the polite way of saying it.” Beverly blushed.

“It’s alright, Beverly. I have two boys and at times I had a houseful of teenage boys if their friends were over. Go ahead.” 

“He forced her to give him a _blow job,”_ Beverly whispered the last two words. “I believe the ‘polite way’ as you put it is _fellatio_. He didn’t make you do that, did he?” Beverly shook her head. “No, but I wish he had.” Fire flashed in her eyes. “I’d have bit him.” Yvette grinned. “That’s my fiery girl.” 

“If Jean-Luc hadn’t listened to me when I bugged him about his laundry....” Beverly broke out into a sob again and Yvette pulled Beverly into her arms and gently rubbed her back. “Shhh, Beverly. Get it all out. Tell Maman everything.” Beverly sniffed. “Did Jean-Luc tell you I didn’t really have a mother growing up?”

“I gathered by the fact that you were raised by your grandmother that your parents had passed away when you were young?”

“I was four.” Beverly sniffed. “So thank you for being my mother.” Yvette smiled at the younger woman. “I have to admit, Beverly, I always wanted a daughter. Not that I don’t love my two boys very much, but I had hoped for our third child to be a girl, but sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. But...now fate has brought you into my life. I need a daughter, and you need a mother.” Beverly smiled. “But I’m not sure I see Jean-Luc as a brother.” 

Yvette laughed. “ _Non_.” 

Jean-Luc carried a pot of tea in with three cups but when he saw Beverly wrapped in his mother’s embrace he simply placed the tray down and backed out of the room. Yvette saw him over Beverly’s shoulder and smiled at him. He caught her eye and mouthed ‘going for a run’ and she nodded. Beverly needed to cry to find release, but Jean-Luc needed to run. 

###

Jean-Luc changed into his running gear and grabbed a water bottle on his way out of the kitchen. He saw his brother, who lifted his hand in a wave and a puzzled look and Jean-Luc trotted over to him. 

“Jean-Luc, what are you doing here? Get kicked out already?” Robert grinned at his younger brother. “Very funny. No, Beverly and I are here for a few days because she....” he trailed off. “Robert, are you busy?”

“Nothing that can’t wait for my little brother. Is Beverly alright?” Jean-Luc took a deep breath. “She will be. She’s with Maman. But another Cadet...he tried....oh God, Robert. He tried to rape her. He had her naked and bent over the pool table in the rec room and if I hadn’t been dropping off my laundry, I wouldn’t have been able to....” Jean-Luc let out a sob and Robert gave his brother a hug. “Look, I know we’re not touchy feely, but I think you needed that.” 

“Thanks, Robert. I did. I didn’t want Beverly to see me upset, but Robert, you should have seen her.” Robert gave his brother a funny look. “No offense to your Beverly, but I’d rather not look at your girlfriend naked.” 

“She’s _not_ my girlfriend.” 

“Sure. You keep saying that.”

“And all because he thought Beverly was ‘too good’ for me. Well, of _course_ she’s too good for me. She’s too good for anyone. She’s perfect, you know?” Robert grinned. His brother had it bad for Beverly. Robert patted his brother on the shoulder. “I know.”

“When I think about how close he was to being inside her....I wish I could have been part of the security team that went to arrest him.” 

“No, you don’t.”

“I do!” 

“Jean-Jean, if you had been, you’d have only gotten yourself in trouble.” Jean-Luc grinned at his brother. “You haven’t called me _that_ in ages. You going soft on me?”

“Nah. But you know I’m right.” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah...I might have kicked him while he was down...with his pants down.”

“Not in the...” Robert pointed to his crotch. “Oh no, that honour went to Beverly,” Jean-Luc grinned. “I shouted the guy’s name and that startled him so he let go of Beverly and she lashed out and kicked him.”

“Ouch.” Jean-Luc shrugged. “He deserved it.”

“He sure did. Are you going to be alright?” Jean-Luc frowned. “I guess so. I hope so. I just...I want to protect her, you know? Beverly...she’s special.”

“That she is, Jean-Luc. That she is.”

###

Jean-Luc ran his old familiar circuit and when he returned his mother was in the kitchen prepping food. “Where’s Beverly?”

“Sleeping. I tucked her into your bed after she and I had a chat....Jean-Luc, I think she needs a lot of love right now. She’s in a bad place.” Jean-Luc looked at the floor. “I know, Maman. I just want to help her. Bev means a lot to me. I might even love her...”

“I know. Why don’t you shower and then go lay down with her? I’m sure she could use your strength right now. Beverly asked me to take her to my doctor tomorrow, so don’t...” she raised her eyebrows at him. “ _Maman!_ But uhm...it’s too late, Beverly wanted to last night.” 

“She told me.” Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. “Oh. But, Maman, Marsden didn’t have sex with her.”

“No, but he used his fingers, which could have caused injury. We’re just going to get her checked out to make sure.” 

“Uhm....Ok. Should I come too?” Yvette smiled at her son. “ _Non_. I’m sorry, son, this is something a girl needs a mother for, not a boyfriend.”

“ _Maman_...” Yvette waived her hands. “Fine. A boy who’s a friend. Better?”

“Yes.” Jean-Luc kissed his mother on the cheek. “Thank you for being here for Beverly.” 

Jean-Luc climbed the stairs and glanced in his room before carrying on to the bathroom. Beverly was fast asleep under his covers, with her uniform folded on the chair on the side. She probably needed the sleep. He knew she hadn’t slept much the night before. He quickly showered and put on a clean pair of shorts before he climbed into the bed next to Beverly. Beverly instinctively rolled close and he spooned her, pressing a light kiss to the back of her neck. He closed his eyes, tightened his grip on her waist, and joined her in slumber.

He woke up before she did and he watched her sleep. She smiled slightly in her sleep, but then her smile turned to a frown, and then a look of horror crossed her face. “Beverly? Wake up sweetheart. It’s Jean-Luc....” Beverly’s eyes flew open and she clutched Jean-Luc. “Are you alright?”

“I....I....I was dreaming and it was nice. You were in it and then.... _he_ showed up and hurt me.” Jean-Luc held her close. “I’m sorry. What do you need right now?” 

“Just hold me. I need....I need to make the demons disappear.” 

“Alright, Bev. I’m here. Whatever you need.”

###

Beverly’s trip to Yvette’s doctor was embarrassing. More so because the doctor assumed Beverly was Jean-Luc’s girlfriend. Beverly did not enjoy having an internal exam, but it needed to be done to make sure Marsden hadn’t scratched her and if he did, that there was no bacteria to infect her. Beverly had tears in her eyes the entire time, and Yvette stood by her head and let Beverly squeeze her hand. 

“You do have a few scratches. They’re not deep, but I’m going to need to swab them.”

“Swab?” Doctor Keats held up a small device. “It’s not really a swab. I can use this and it will tell us within a few minutes if you have an infection. Just relax for me, alright?” Beverly grimaced. “Easy for you to say!”

“Yvette tells me you are going to be a doctor?” Beverly nodded. “Well, doctors _do_ make the worst patients. But there, we have the sample and you can get dressed while the test runs. Did he hurt you anywhere else?” 

“I had a bruise on my breast, but we used a regen on it, and Jean-Luc told me this morning I have a handprint on my bottom.” 

“I can fix that for you. If you want to lay down on your stomach, it will only take a minute.” Beverly nodded and the handprint was gone at the same time as the tricorder beeped with its results. “Ah, you’re in luck, there is no infection present. We just need to heal up the cuts for you.”

“So I have to take off my panties again?” 

“I’m afraid so. But the good news is, once it’s healed up, you’ll be fine and you’ll be able to resume normal sexual activity.” Beverly blushed. “Sorry. Was that a little awkward? With Yvette being here with you....I..ah, I’ve done it again. Beverly, I apologize for my appalling behaviour.” Beverly smiled at the doctor. “It’s alright. Half of Starfleet Security have probably seen me naked by now. Having Jean-Luc’s mother know it’s alright for us to resume sex is nothing compared to that.” 

“Well, I suppose it’s good you can joke. You’re all done here. For good this time.” 

“Thanks. Uhm, can you heal the mark on my neck too?” 

“You have a mark on your neck?” Beverly nodded. “Under my hair...Jean-Luc saw it when I pulled my hair up last night, but we didn’t have time to heal it.” Doctor Keats smiled at Beverly. “Of course I can.” 

“Would you like me to forward my exam results to Starfleet security? Will they help in the case?” 

“They might. Send it to Lieutenant Caruthers at the Academy.” Beverly hopped off the table and re-dressed once more. “It was nice meeting you, Beverly. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to contact me.” Beverly nodded.

“Actually...Doctor Keats? Would it be cheeky of me to ask if I could intern with you this summer?” 

“No, not at all. Why don’t you contact me when you get back to the Academy and we’ll set things up.”

“Thanks!” Beverly grinned as she followed Yvette out of the office. 

###

“Jean-Luc, you have a message from the Academy.” Maurice came out of the study and patted his son on the shoulder. His wife had told him what had happened to Beverly, and Maurice wanted nothing more than to rip that boy limb to limb for daring to touch his _Princesse_. For once, he was praising his son’s laziness with his laundry.

“Thanks Papa. Can I use the console?” Maurice nodded and Jean-Luc took a seat behind his father’s desk and pressed the answer button. “Picard here.”

 _“Cadet Picard.”_ Jean-Luc peered at the screen. It was Lieutenant Caruthers. “Lieutenant. My mother has taken Beverly to see her doctor. Do you need to speak with her?”

_“No. I wanted to let you know that Cadet Marsden was apprehended yesterday afternoon and after my superiors saw the security footage and listened to Cadet Howard’s and your statements, he has been discharged from Starfleet. I just wanted you to be aware in case he tries to locate you or Cadet Howard.”_

“Thank you, Lieutenant. Who should I call if he shows up?”

_“Call your local emergency service. I will transmit the reference number. I advise both you and Cadet Howard to request restraining orders for Marsden as well.”_

“Thank you, Sir. I will suggest that to Beverly when she returns.”

_“Caruthers out.”_

###

Beverly burst into happy tears when Jean-Luc told her Marsden was kicked out of Starfleet. “Thank goodness. I honestly wasn’t sure how or if I could return to the Academy knowing he was only down the hall from you.”

“I’d have asked to move.” Beverly grinned. “So, I guess we can go back now.”

“On Sunday. I mean, we were given tomorrow off too, so we might as well stay here for the weekend.” 

“Good. Can we go play with the kittens in the barn?” Jean-Luc smiled. “Sure.”

Jean-Luc watched on with laughter as Beverly teased the kittens with bits of straw. One kitten bravely went for Beverly’s long hair dangling down. “Oh no you don’t!” Beverly picked up the grey kitten. “Don’t be naughty.” The little kitten mewed and Beverly laughed again. “I love cats.”

“I know you do.” 

“Do they get cold out in the barn in the winter?” Beverly cuddled one of the kittens close as if she could give it lasting warmth. Jean-Luc shook his head. “I don’t think so. There’s plenty of straw for them to bed down in and we do have a heater. But...don’t tell Papa, but the number of house cats tend to increase the colder it gets outside. I’m sure Maman ferries the kittens over to the house and leaves the adult cats to do the mousing in the winter.” Beverly laughed. “That sounds like your mother. You know, she told me to call her Maman. Do you mind?”

“Of course not. I told you, Maman likes you.” Jean-Luc checked behind him for any wayward kittens and lounged against the wall and pulled Beverly against him. “I _did_ tell her I didn’t want to look at you as a brother, though.” She played with his fingers, getting the attention of one of the kittens who ran over to attack. 

“Well, that’s a relief, I must admit.” Jean-Luc let the small kitten play with his fingers for a few minutes . “Beverly, do you want to sleep up here with the kittens tonight?” 

“Oh wow, can we?” He grinned. “Sure. I can get the sleeping bags and some pillows later. But...I don’t know how much sleep we’d get with these guys running all over us.” 

“That’s alright, I won’t mind.”

###

Yvette insisted on them taking one of the portable heaters into the loft with them, as well as hot water bottles for their feet and extra blankets. 

“Maman, we’re only going to be in the barn. If we get too cold, we’ll come back inside. Besides, the kittens sleep out there and they’re a lot smaller than us!” 

“And I suppose you can cuddle a few cats for warmth?” Yvette’s eyes glimmered with mirth. “That too.” 

“Well, I still insist you take all this up there with you.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at Beverly but gathered the blankets in his arms. “It’s going to take a few trips to get all this up to the loft. Bev, if you want to change into some warm pyjamas while I make up the beds?” Yvette smirked. Beds indeed. More like, one large bed for the two of them. 

“If you won’t need my help.” 

“Nah, I can do it.” 

Jean-Luc decided they would sleep on top of the giant featherbed his mother had insisted he take into the barn. The featherbed was several inches thick and would make a suitable mattress. After the featherbed, he used the two sleeping bags zipped together to make one large bag, covered it with a sheet, and piled an additional blanket on top. He strung a set of fairy lights from the Christmas decorations on the overhead beams to give a soft glow, and propped the pile of pillows against the wall, making it almost look like a real bed with a headboard. Jean-Luc had also found an old braid rug and he placed it on the floor by the “foot” of the bed to give it more of a bedroom feel. He laughed as several kittens already climbed up onto the bed and chased each other or curled up to go to sleep. 

Jean-Luc carried two empty wooden crates up the ladder and used them to make “end tables” for the bed. While Beverly was taking a bath, he snuck back into the kitchen and picked up cups, saucers, and a plateful of madelines his mother had baked earlier that day. He would make up a flask of hot chocolate before they went to their “bedroom.” He placed the hot water bottles at the foot of the bed and turned on the portable heater to warm the space before bed. He hoped it would cheer Beverly a little.

“I know you can’t climb the ladder and close your eyes, but try not to look until I get up the ladder, too.” Beverly grinned. “I’ll close my eyes once I get to the top.” 

“Good.” Jean-Luc followed behind with the flask of hot chocolate and when he arrived at the top, he saw Beverly had her eyes scrunched closed, even though one of the cats was winding around her ankles and he knew she desperately wanted to pick it up. He poured out the hot chocolate and then he walked up to her and kissed her deeply. She returned the kiss and wound her arms around his neck. “Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

Beverly let out a small gasp and covered her mouth with her hands as tears threatened to leak out of her eyes. “You don’t like it?”

“I...I love it. This is perfect. How did you...” 

“I’ve been thinking about this idea all day and it was just a matter of suggesting to you that we sleep up here tonight.” Beverly kissed him again. “Thank you.” 

“So, will you join me on our cat-filled bed?” Beverly giggled. “There’s a kitten licking the cream off your hot chocolate.” 

Beverly curled up against Jean-Luc under the duvet, her clothing abandoned in favour of sharing body heat and she smiled contentedly as two of the barn cats curled up next to her to sleep. She fell asleep with a smile on her face, appreciating Jean-Luc more than he would ever know. Was this what love felt like? Should she ask him to be her boyfriend?

###

When they returned to the Academy, their friends were curious, but no one asked them where they had been, assuming they would tell them if they had wanted to. Walker told them how Marsden had been carted away for “assaulting a cadet”, but no one seemed to know the identity of the woman. Jack had gotten a hold of the footage used by the Security team, but true to Caruthers’ word, you couldn’t see any details to tell the woman was Beverly. Not even her hair was visible, which would have been a big giveaway to their friends.


	7. Chapter 7

Felisa Howard nervously stepped off the shuttle at the La Barre transportation centre and looked around. She had been invited to spend the Christmas holidays with the Picards since Beverly wouldn’t have enough time to travel back to Caldos over the short break. Felisa was grateful to the Picards for taking Beverly in, and she was very interested in meeting the young man who had obviously captured her Beverly’s heart, even if Beverly said they were only friends. 

“Nana!” Beverly shouted over the crowd and headed towards the short woman, a young man trailing behind. Beverly embraced her grandmother. “I’ve missed you!” 

“Missed you too, my girl. Who’s this young man?” Beverly blushed. “Nana, this is Jean-Luc.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs Howard.” Felisa waved her hand. “Pssh. Call me Felisa. Or _Nana_ , if you’d prefer.” She allowed Jean-Luc to kiss her cheek and take her case from her. “Be careful with my case, Jean-Luc. I have my special lamp in there.” 

“Lamp?”

Beverly rolled her eyes. “It’s a family heirloom. Nana, your house is safe! You could have left it behind.” 

“No, I couldn’t.” Beverly shrugged. The strange lamp with the candle had been in the family for longer than Beverly was alive. Family legend said it had been brought over by the original Scottish settlers of Caldos and it was a guiding light that would protect the Howard family. Beverly had scoffed at it when she was younger and wanted to know why it hadn’t protected her parents. 

“Up for a walk? We’re about a mile away from the vineyard.” Beverly threaded her arm through Felisa’s with Jean-Luc following behind. He caught snippets of the conversation between Beverly and her grandmother, but he had decided to hang back and allow Beverly the time with her grandmother. Felisa smiled. Yes, this boy definitely was more than just a friend to her granddaughter.

When Yvette and Felisa met, it was as if the two of them were old friends who had found each other after many years and Jean-Luc and Beverly found themselves with plenty of time on their own as Felisa joined Yvette in the kitchen and the two cadets had been shooed out of the kitchen. Jean-Luc had borrowed a pair of cross-country skis from a friend for Beverly and he taught Beverly how to ski and the two spent hours out in the cold going across the frozen terrain of the slumbering farmer’s fields surrounding the vineyard. 

“Is this what you did instead of running in the winter?”

“Yeah, there aren’t many paths to run on in the winter. Is it too much for you? Am I going to fast?” Beverly grinned. “I think I can keep up.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Race you!” Jean-Luc took off on his skis and Beverly laughed before she started trudging behind, grumbling about how it wasn’t fair since he had more experience than her and a head start. 

Beverly’s ski hit a rock and she fell, twisting her ankle in her boot. She cried out and Jean-Luc stopped and turned around and hurried back to her. “Bev! Are you alright?” 

“I think I twisted my ankle. Ow.” Jean-Luc clipped off his skis and helped her out of hers before he dropped to his knees. “Can we get you standing?” 

“Yeah, I think so.” Beverly took Jean-Luc’s offered hands and rose slowly. She slowly put pressure on her foot. “Ouch. I definitely did something to it.” 

“Can you walk?” Beverly took a few tentative steps. “Not really. Ideally, I need to wrap my ankle in something to give it support if I’m going to try.” Jean-Luc sat in the snow and started to remove his boot. “What are you doing?”

“Taking off my socks for you.” 

“But then your feet will get cold and you’ll get frostbite.” He shrugged. “Better than leaving you out in the cold while I go home to get a regen. We can treat the frostbite back at home.” Beverly frowned. “Yeah, but if you ski fast...how long would it take?” 

“Maybe a half hour home, and a half hour back. But...I don’t want to just leave you here! It’s freezing out.” Beverly looked around. “Those trees over there. I’ll be sheltered.” 

Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, I can’t leave you here. What if it takes me longer to get back? It will be dark soon and the temperature will drop quickly.” 

“You could make my skis into a sled and pull me back?” 

“With what? Not exactly many long planks or rope lying around here.” Jean-Luc frowned. “I’ll just have to carry you.”

“You can’t carry me all the way back home! I’ll be too heavy!”

“Nonsense. If you climb on my back, I can ski back with you as piggy back. It’ll be fine, as long as you hang onto me.” Beverly pursed her lips. “Hmm. What about my skis?”

“Strap them to your back.” Beverly eyed her friend sceptically. “Are you sure this will work? What if you drop me?” He raised his eyebrows. “You really think I would?”

“No, but...I might get heavy.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s try it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.” 

“Well, I suppose we really don’t have another option.” Jean-Luc strapped back on his skis and helped Beverly get shakily to her feet. He showed her how to strap her skis to her back and then he leaned forward so Beverly could climb onto his back. “I won’t be able to hold onto you and use my ski poles, so you’ll have to hold on.” Beverly nodded and clasped her hands around his neck and tightly gripped his waist with her thighs. “Ok, let’s see what happens. I’ll go slow.” 

Jean-Luc slowly skied with Beverly clutching onto him. They skied for about ten minutes when Jean-Luc stopped. “I think, I’m going to have to take off my skis too so I can hold onto you and just walk home. It feels like you’re slipping off.” 

“Yeah,” Beverly said. “I feel a little unstable, too.” She slid off Jean-Luc’s back and sat in the snow, her skis attached to her back pointing up in an X. Jean-Luc added his skis to hers. “Are you ok to have both pairs?” She nodded. “I mean, you’re the one who has to carry me with them on. Too bad we didn’t take a communicator out with us.” 

“We’ll remember next time. Hop on.” Beverly grinned and kissed his cheek before climbing back on his back. This time, Jean-Luc held her behind her knees and she felt much more secure.

It took Jean-Luc far longer than it had taken them to ski that far but he was soon in the courtyard in front of the house. Robert emerged. “Maman was just sending me out to look for you. Are you two ok?”

“Beverly hurt her ankle.” Robert nodded and took the skis off of Beverly’s back and helped Beverly off of Jean-Luc’s back. She rested a hand on Robert’s shoulder for balance. “Thanks.”

Jean-Luc picked up Beverly in his arms once more. “Jean-Luc....I can walk.” He shook his head. “Shh. Let me carry you.”

He set her on the settee in the living room, where a roaring fire was already going strong. “Come on, let’s get that ankle sorted.” Beverly removed her jacket and it was immediately replaced with a warm blanket draped over her shoulders by her grandmother. “Hey, Nana.”

“What happened?”

“My ski hit a rock. I think I twisted my ankle.” Nana tssked and was going to help her granddaughter, but saw the caring look on Jean-Luc’s face as he walked back in with the family first aid kit and backed away. “Yvette is making some hot chocolate for you.” 

Jean-Luc carefully removed Beverly’s boot and the two layers of socks and gently pushed up her thermal legging. “Does it hurt when I touch it.” Beverly yelped. “Yes! So _don’t_ touch it!” 

He grinned and picked up the regen unit. “This will take a little longer than the ones we have at school, but it’s better than having to go to the hospital.” 

Felisa eyed the pair from the doorway as Yvette was coming in with a tray with hot cocoa and biscuits and she nudged Yvette. “Are you _sure_ my granddaughter and your son aren’t a couple?” 

“That’s what they tell me, Felisa. They say they’re _only friends_.” Felisa shared a look with Yvette. “I think we will be in-laws by the time they graduate.” 

“Oh, no I think they’re both more stubborn than that. Give them at least until they are twenty-five. But I agree. There’s so much love between them. Just look at the pair of them.” Yvette softly smiled as she watched her son gently take Beverly’s ankle in his hands and run the regen unit over it. His free hand found hers and he squeezed it. Beverly’s eyes never left Jean-Luc’s face. 

The hum of the regen unit covered the whispers from the matrons as Jean-Luc gently played with Beverly’s fingers and tickled her palm to distract her from the regen. “I’m glad I didn’t have to leave you behind out there. I would have been worried about you.”

“I know. I was kinda scared about being left behind, too.” She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. “Thank you for rescuing me....again.” He grinned. “All part of the service, Ma’am. One fully equipped best friend, at your service!” He kissed her nose and she giggled. The two women in the doorway exchanged another glance. “I’ve changed my mind. My money’s on engaged by New Year’s.”

###

Beverly was relaxing in her large bathtub with the muscle relax salts from Yvette when Jean-Luc softly knocked on the bathroom door. “Can I come in?”

“Mm, do you have tea?”

“Yep.” 

“Then come in!” Jean-Luc opened the door and grinned. “What if I didn’t have a cup of tea?” 

“Ehh, I might have let you in anyway. Does Nana know you came to see me in the bath?” Jean-Luc put the cups of tea down on the counter and rubbed the back of his neck. “Your nana....suggested it. My mother made the tea.” He flushed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s got into them...”

“I don’t want to know, but if this was parent and grandparent approved, get in.” Jean-Luc grinned and stripped down and settled across from her in the bath. “Feeling better?” 

“Mm. The regen mostly fixed it. I’m just a little sore from the fall.” 

“I’ll give you a back massage when we’re done in here.” Beverly grinned. “I’ll hold you to that!”

###

“Beverly?”

“Hmm?” They were sitting in the living room on the rug by the fire, and Beverly was leaning back against him enjoying the warmth with a book on her lap she had pulled off the bookshelf. It was in French, but she was trying her best to understand it.

“There’s a dance in town on Christmas Eve. It’s...it’s a Yuletide Ball? It’s some ancient tradition. I was wondering, would you like to go?” Beverly turned around to face him. 

“Uhm...sure, but I don’t have anything formal to wear or anything like that.” He grinned. “Well, I was planning on wearing my dress uniform...”

“Good idea. Alright, I’ll go with you.” Beverly rose from the floor. “Where are you going?”

“Cup of tea. And to tell your mother you finally asked me.” Jean-Luc blushed. “You knew about the ball?” she nodded. “Maman asked me a few days ago if you had asked me to go.” He chuckled. “Alright. Could you please bring me back a cup?”

“Sure.”

Beverly entered the warm kitchen and grinned. Her grandmother was kneading dough while Jean-Luc’s mother was forming dough into baguettes and cutting deep slashes on the top. “He asked me.” Yvette wiped her hands on her apron and clasped her hands. “Ah, finally.” 

“What will you wear, dear?” 

“Nana, I thought I’d just wear my dress uniform. Jean-Luc said he would and...” Beverly trailed off, noticing the horrified looks on the women’s faces. “No?”

“No. Come with me, dear. There’s bound to be something for you to borrow in my closet if we do a little altering. Felisa, are you joining us?” 

“Absolutely. Let me just get this bread into a pan first.” Yvette nodded. “Alright, we’ll meet you in my room.”

“Nana, could you get Jean-Luc a cup of tea before you come up? I told him I’d bring him one...” Felisa nodded at her granddaughter. “Of course. I’ll let him know we’re stealing you away, too.” Yvette smiled and indicated for Beverly to follow her and took her upstairs to the master bedroom. 

“I have so many gowns and so little occaions to wear them. I’m sure between your grandmother and I we can alter a dress in a few days to fit you or we can see if Marie has anything you can borrow if you don’t like anything in my closet. Of course, there’s plenty of clothing up in the attic too...but most of that would be too old fashioned for you, I think. “ Beverly eyed Yvette’s closet and fingered some of the beautiful fabrics. She had never really had the opportunity to dress up when she was younger as Caldos rarely had any formal occasions other than weddings, and even those were often informal affairs. 

“Well....” Beverly’s eyes settled on a dark blue velvet dress and she ran her fingers across the soft velvet.

Yvette’s eyes lit up as she pulled the dress from her wardrobe. “Yes. This dress is perfect. Go on, try it on...” 

While Beverly was putting the dress on, Felisa arrived and the two older women gave the appropriate ooohs and ahhs as Beverly admired herself in the mirror. “It is a lovely dress, Maman. But is it a bit much? Nana? What do you think?” Beverly spun around to face the two older women.

“I think my princess looks like a princess.” Beverly blushed. “Maurice calls me a princess, too.” 

“Ah, see. I told you you were a princess. Only fit for a prince.” Beverly grinned. “Now, I think, Yvette, we need to nip the dress in slightly at the waist. No offense to you at all, my dear, but Beverly has such a tiny waist.” Yvette nodded. “None taken. And perhaps we should lower the neckline slightly.” Pins were produced and Beverly was soon standing still while her Nana and the woman she came to view as a mother stuck pins into the dress.

Two days later, the women were once again standing in Yvette’s bedroom with Beverly trying on the now altered dress.

“Are you sure I should wear this? It’s very....” 

“It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Yvette gently turned Beverly around towards the mirror. “Wow,” Beverly whispered. “Wow, indeed.” Yvette and Felisa had brought in the waist, lowered the neckline, and taken off the sleeves. Nestled between her breasts was a beautiful brooch and the dress fell like water down over her hips. It flared out only slightly, and had a long slit up one side. 

“Jean-Luc will be so surprised! You must not let him see you in this until the night of the party!” Beverly fingered the fabric delicately and looked at herself in the mirror. This was _much better_ than her cadet dress uniform! “I won’t even tell him I have a dress.” 

Yvette smiled. “Now...we need to find you some shoes....”

###

Jean-Luc knocked on Beverly’s bedroom door on Christmas Eve, resplendent in his red dress uniform. Beverly called out “Come in!” and he gasped when he saw her. She wasn’t wearing her dress uniform, but a beautiful dress. “Wow, you look...amazing. Beautiful. I....” He blushed and leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself.” 

Jean-Luc held out a small wrapped box. “I know it’s not Christmas until tomorrow, but Maman thought you might like your gift early. Now I see why.” Beverly grinned and unwrapped the box. It was a simple pair of silver earrings with a clear stone. “I know you can’t wear them with your uniform, but I thought...”

“I love them.” Beverly kissed his cheek. “Let me go put them on.”

Jean-Luc helped Beverly into her coat by the door. “I had planned on walking into the village, but...” He glanced down at her shoes, a delicate pair of high heels she had found in the attic.

“I can walk!”

“In high heels across potentially icy paths?” She frowned. “Maybe not.” 

“Ah, I’ve come to the rescue, little brother.” Robert appeared at his elbow in a suit. “Marie wanted to go to the party in a carriage, like Cinderella.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes but Beverly grinned. “So you turned a pumpkin into a carriage?” 

“Well, not exactly. But I did borrow a ground transport vehicle and fitted it with fairy lights. I wasn’t sure the horses would enjoy pulling a carriage.” 

“No. Are you sure there’s room? We don’t want to get in your way if you and Marie want some privacy.” Robert laughed. “Are you _sure_ I shouldn’t be saying that about you two?” Beverly flushed. 

The ball was being held in the village hall. While La Barre was a tiny village, the annual yuletide ball was attended by people from the surrounding villages. Beverly gripped Jean-Luc’s hand as they entered the hall and looked around. “Wow, it’s beautiful”

“Isn’t it?” Marie spoke from her place next to Robert. “Why don’t we find a table and let the boys get us some drinks?” Beverly looked at Jean-Luc nervously. “Don’t worry, I’ll find you.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You’ll be fine,” he whispered.

Marie and Beverly found a mostly empty table and sat down, claiming the seats on either side of them for their companions. “Beverly, why are you so nervous?” Beverly toyed with the tablecloth. “Ever since the incident last month...even though I hadn’t been in a large group when it happened, I just get nervous in groups. _Especially_ around men I don’t know.” 

“Ah, I see. Well, knowing Jean-Luc, he won’t let you out of his sight. Plus, you have Robert and I around.” 

“I hope so.”

A young man with blond hair approached the table. “Marie! So good to see you, I assume you’re here with Robert?” Marie smiled at the man as he kissed her cheek. “I am. Louis, have you met Beverly yet?”

“Jean-Luc’s Beverly?” Beverly blushed when Louis immediately swept her into a hug and kissed her cheeks. “Hello. Jean-Luc told me you were away at boarding school or he would have introduced us last year.” Louis grinned. “My father insisted. It’s not Starfleet Academy, but it’ll be a good start. How do you find the Academy?” Beverly grinned. “I love it. We’re still just in basic, but it’s really challenging. I’m actually planning on going into medicine, so I have a bit more of a challenging workload than Jean-Luc.”

“Ah, Jean-Luc was always a slacker.” 

“Oh! Who are you calling a slacker?” Jean-Luc arrived with two drinks in his hand and placed them on the table before he and his old friend embraced. Louis gave Jean-Luc a kiss on the cheek which Jean-Luc returned and Beverly grinned. “Ah, my dear. It is the way of the French, _non_?” She giggled.

“Stop harassing my...Beverly.” Louis sheepishly grinned. “Sorry. Hey, have you seen Collette anywhere? She’s supposed to be my date to this thing.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, sorry. But why don’t you join us? I’m sure she’ll turn up eventually. There’s plenty of room at the table.”

Over dinner, Beverly learned more about Jean-Luc’s childhood and teenage years than she had before. While they were dancing, she leaned towards his ear to softly whisper. “You never told me you were such a trouble maker.”

“Ah, well, I think Louis likes to exaggerate a bit. We weren’t _that_ bad.” Jean-Luc gently ran his hand along her exposed back and she shivered. “I like this dress.”

“Why?”

“I can touch your back in public.” She grinned “No changing the subject, mister. Robert seemed to agree. You were quite the prankster when you were younger.” He grinned. “Still am. I just know better than to pull pranks on you.” She grinned back and shook her head. “Good.” 

“They’ve put some heaters outback in the courtyard. Want to go out there?” 

“Sure,” Jean-Luc settled her hand in his and they wove through the crowd of dancers. He let go of her hand momentarily to pick up two glasses from a passing waiter and handed her one of the glasses before they exited the building into the courtyard. 

The courtyard was covered by a forcefield above, keeping the ground dry and clear of snow while the snow fell above. The garden was filled with arches wrapped in white and red flowers and twinkling fairy lights with benches beneath, and the fountain in the middle was gurgling happily. Jean-Luc led Beverly over to a bench and they sat down. He held up his glass and she clinked hers against his. “From the vineyard?”

He nodded. “Papa always provides a few barrels. Truthfully, I think it’s so he can justify not attending, though Maman has been known to twist his arm a time or two. I wouldn’t be surprised if they show up later this evening after some hedging.” 

“Maybe they’ll bring Nana along, too. She spends her evenings holed up in her room reading by candle light. I wish she would stop. It’s not like we don’t have lights in Caldos, it’s just that stupid family heirloom.” 

“I guess it means a lot to her.” Beverly frowned. “Yeah. And one day I’ll probably inherit it and it’s going straight into the attic. Let my children or grandchildren discover it and wonder why the family held onto it.” Jean-Luc laughed and twined their free hands together. He leaned close and kissed her slowly and gently. Beverly wound her hand still holding the wine glass behind his neck and kissed him back. When they broke apart, she grinned. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” 

“You look so lovely. Beverly...” She blushed. “You told me that already.” He reached out and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. “I know. I just needed to tell you again.” 

“Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself. I’ve never seen you in the dress uniform before. It’s nice.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’s a bit...ostentatious, don’t you think?”

“Maybe a little, but that’s Starfleet.” She fingered the sash he was wearing. “But what’s this? It’s not part of the usual uniform?” he shook his head. “No. It’s some heraldry thing. Shows I’m Comte or something. Robert has one on too.” 

“I hadn’t noticed.”

“Yeah. We have to wear them at formal occasions even though it’s archaic nonsense and just a silly title that says our family has owned land here for centuries.” Beverly grinned. “Should I, a lowly peasant, be bowing at your feet?” He chuckled. “If you’d like.” 

“Hmm. Maybe later.”

Yvette found the couple in the courtyard, talking softly and cuddling close and she smiled to her companion. “Maurice, I think we might get two daughters-in-laws by the time Christmas break is over, _non_?” Maurice grinned at his wife. “Let them be. They’re just children.” 

“You don’t want Beverly and Jean-Luc to marry?” Maurice wrapped an arm around his wife and turned her away from the couple. “Of course I do, but Yvette, my love, they’re still quite young. Give them time to cultivate their relationship.” 

“We were married at twenty.” 

“Aye, but it was a different world then.” Yvette scoffed at her husband. “It wasn’t that long ago. Our eldest is twenty-four. We were married twenty-five years ago.” 

“But Jean-Luc and Beverly are not us, my dear. Come, dance with me. Did you put Jean-Luc’s other present for Beverly in her room before we left?” She nodded. “The basket is on her bed, though how Jean-Luc expects a kitten to sit in a basket for hours is beyond me. Though, I suppose it might sleep. You realise the kitten will be in our care until Beverly can move out of her dormitory next year.” Maurice nodded. “A small price to pay to make our _Princesse_ happy.” 

“You old softie.” Yvette let her husband lead her away and she smiled over at Felisa, deep in conversation with the mayor. “Felisa’s found a friend.” 

“Good for her. Now, stop meddling in other people’s relationships and dance with your old husband.” 

###

Robert had dropped Jean-Luc and Beverly off at home before taking Marie home and the two made their way upstairs to Beverly’s bedroom. “I have another gift for you.”

“Oh?”

“It’s on your bed. I had Maman put it there after we left. At least, I _hope_ it’s on the bed.” Beverly shot Jean-Luc a puzzled look, but opened her bedroom door. Sitting on her bed was a small basket, and the grey kitten who had tried to climb into Beverly’s trunk before they left for the Academy was sound asleep in it, with a large green bow tied around its neck.

“For me?” Jean-Luc nodded. “I know you can’t take her back to the Academy with you, but you can have her next year when we find a flat...and I knew she was your favourite.” Beverly picked up the sleeping kitten and cuddled her close. “Thank you Jean-Luc!” Beverly kissed his cheek. “I love her!”

“So, what will you name her?” 

“Hmm....Baby, because she’ll be my baby.” Jean-Luc smiled. “I like it. I have a collar and some other cat things for her in my room. Maman she’ll look after her while we’re at school. Do you want her other stuff?” Beverly nodded and kicked off her shoes before following Jean-Luc across the hall to his room. Jean-Luc gently untied the ribbon from Baby’s neck and replaced it with a blue collar. “There. Now you’re owned.” Beverly laughed when the cat squirmed out of her hands and jumped onto Jean-Luc’s bed. Baby turned around three times, then sat down and demurely began to wash her paws. Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. Beverly laughed. “I think Baby wants to sleep in here tonight.” 

“Hmm.” Jean-Luc removed his sash and hung it up in his closet. “Glad to be rid of _that_.” 

“Oh, I don’t know. It made you look regal. Oh, and I forgot to bow to you.” Beverly curtseyed deeply and Jean-Luc leered at her. “When you do that, I can see down your dress.”

“Oh? Like what you see?”

_“Beverly!”_


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas and New Years!

Beverly stretched and tiny paws kneaded her bare skin. “Ouch! Baby, tiny claws hurt!” Beverly felt Jean-Luc’s chuckle against her back. “What’s she doing?” 

“Kneading my armpit.” He grinned.

“Aww, she loves you!”

“Mm. Baby, go knead on Jean-Luc.” Beverly nudged the kitten towards Jean-Luc, who had rolled onto his back. Baby settled on his chest and purred. “Traitor.” 

“It’s Christmas morning, Bev.” 

“Mm, so it is. Happy Christmas, Jean-Luc.” She leaned over and kissed him. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close. “Mm, Happy Christmas, Beverly.” Baby did not like the movement and protested by sticking her claws into Jean-Luc’s chest. “Ow. I see what you mean. Careful, Baby.” Beverly snorted.

“We should get up,” Beverly whispered. Jean-Luc groaned. “Should, but I’m comfortable.” 

“Hmm. You know, your parents are going to know I didn’t sleep in my room.” 

“Sweetheart, they’ve known for a while you don’t sleep in there every night.” Beverly got out of bed and glanced at her crumpled dress. “I wonder if Maman wants it back?” 

Jean-Luc shrugged. “She altered it to fit you, so I don’t know. Ask her.” Beverly nodded and picked up Jean-Luc’s dressing gown. “Hey, I need that.”

“Uhm. I’m not walking across the hall naked!” Jean-Luc grinned. “But it would be a lovely sight to see.” Beverly rolled her eyes and pulled on his dressing gown and reached for her kitten. “Come on, Baby. Let’s get dressed.”

“Dressed? What about breakfast?”

“Mm. Alright. I’ll go put on my pyjamas. And maybe remove some of this make-up first. I bet it looks awful.” He grinned. “You do look like you have black rings around your eyes.” 

“Gee, thanks.” Jean-Luc shrugged. “Sorry. I’ll meet you in the kitchen? Maman _always_ puts on a special spread for Christmas morning.” 

“Ok. Did you get food for Baby?” He nodded.

“Maman has plenty of kitten food. Just bring her down with you and we can get her sorted. But she’s been living in this house since she was born, so I think she knows where to find food.” Beverly sat the kitten on the floor. “Go on then, go find your breakfast.” Baby trotted out of the room with her tail held high and headed down the stairs, jumping on each step as she went making Beverly laugh. “See you in a bit.”

When Beverly arrived downstairs, she passed Jean-Luc his robe back and Yvette pretended not to notice when Jean-Luc slipped it on. “Coffee, Beverly?”

“Yes, please.” Beverly took the offered cup and deeply drank. “Mm, just what I needed. Did Baby find her way down alright?”

“Baby?”

“My cat. I named her Baby.” Yvette grinned. “She’s having her breakfast in the pantry.” 

“Thanks, Maman. Are you _sure_ you won’t mind looking after her this semester?” Yvette shook her head. “Of course not, dear. I will keep her well-fed and warm until your return. I assume you’ll be back in between?” Beverly nodded. “And Nana, I’m sorry, but I won’t be coming home to Caldos this summer. I have an internship with Doctor Keats in the village.” Felisa nodded. “I expected as much. It’s fine. Besides, Yvette has invited me to visit anytime I want.” 

“Good. Where’s Papa and Robert?” Yvette smiled. “Vines, where else?” 

“On Christmas?” Yvette nodded. “Never a day’s rest with the vineyard. Of course, there isn’t actually much to do today, but they still pretend like there is. Marie and her parents will be here around one for lunch.” 

“What time is it now?”

“Nine. We will wait and exchange presents this evening if that’s alright with everyone.” Beverly blushed. Jean-Luc had helped her pick out simple presents for his parents and brother, but she wasn’t expecting anything in return. She glanced at Jean-Luc. “Can I give you your present after breakfast?” 

“Sure, if that’s what you want to do.” She nodded. “After I take a shower and get dressed, though.” 

Beverly had done her own bits of sneaking around and had managed to create her surprise for Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc followed her out to the barn, Baby at their heels. “My present is in the barn?” 

Beverly nodded and took his hand. “In the loft. Can you carry Baby up?” 

“Sure.” Jean-Luc cradled the kitten close and followed Beverly up the ladder. “Why are we here?” He sat Baby on the floor and looked around. Beverly had dragged up the featherbed and blankets and re-created the loft bedroom he had made them after her assault. She decorated the loft for the holiday and even had a small basket with a flask of hot chocolate and some gingerbread in the corner. 

“This is lovely. Thank you.” He leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips. “It’s our own little private retreat,” she said. “Maman said no one else uses this barn except for the cats so we could have it. I...I’m sorry I didn’t give you anything nicer.” He grinned. “Beverly, I love it. This is perfect and you did an amazing job decorating.” 

Beverly began to remove her clothing. “And, I have something else for you. I mean, I know it’s the same thing I gave you for your birthday, but this time it’s a _little_ different.”

“Oh? So what’s my present?” He drew shirtless Beverly into his arms loosely. 

“Me.” Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. “You?”

She nodded. “Jean-Luc, will you be my boyfriend?” 

Jean-Luc’s only response was to crush his lips against hers and remove the rest of their clothing.

###

Yvette noticed the grin on Jean-Luc’s face when he walked back into the house holding Beverly’s hand in his shortly before lunch. “Did you enjoy your surprise?”

“I did, Maman. Thank you for helping Beverly make it possible.” He kissed his mother’s cheek. “What can I do to help?”

“Can you help your father bring in some more wood for the fire? I want it nice and cosy in there for us later.” He nodded and reluctantly let go of Beverly’s hand, but leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Duty calls.” She blushed and Yvette grinned. “Beverly, would you like to come with me? I need to get something from my room for Robert.” 

“Of course. Oh, do you want your dress back?” Yvette shook her head as she walked up the stairs to the masterbedroom. “ _Non_. Consider it part of your Christmas gift. I hope Jean-Luc and you have another occasion for you to wear it.” 

“There’s the annual cadet’s ball at the end of next semester. Apparently, the women are allowed either uniforms or gowns.” Yvette clapped her hands. “Perfect.” Yvette picked up her jewellery box and started going through it .

“What are you looking for?”

“Robert wishes to propose to Marie tonight. I told him I would give him a ring.” Beverly’s eyes went wide. “Oh.”

“So tell me, did my Jean-Luc enjoy your surprise?” Beverly blushed. “He did.”

“Good. I am glad you decided to make it official.” She smiled at the young woman she hoped she would one day call her daughter-in-law. 

“Me too. I care about Jean-Luc a lot.” Yvette smiled. “Not love?” Beverly could only blush.

Beverly watched Yvette dig through her jewellery and Yvette began pulling things out. “So many pieces. A lot of these have been in my family or Maurice’s family for generations. No one ever wears them, but what do you do with them?” The dressing table was soon filled with all sorts of pieces ranging from the incredibly tacky and ostentatious to the dainty and delicate.

“Wow. All my family has is that stupid lamp Nana never travels without.”

“Maurice can trace the family back at least one thousand years. He’s very proud of the Picard line, but don’t ask him about it or he’ll never shut up!” The two women laughed. Yvette reached for two rings and pulled them out. “I have a ring for Robert, and I have a ring for Jean-Luc.” She held the two rings out to Beverly and Beverly gently turned them over in her hands. “Oh, this one is beautiful.” 

“That one is for Jean-Luc.” Beverly blushed. “Perhaps someday you will....never mind. Now, I just need to find a box to put this ring in for Robert and we can rejoin the family.” 

###

The rest of the Christmas holiday flew by in a blur and soon it was New Year’s. Yvette had told Jean-Luc and Beverly to invite their friends from the academy for a party and she refused to allow Beverly to help her prepare any of the food. “No, this is your party for you and your friends. I will do the food.”

“Thanks, Maman. I’ll go see what Jean-Luc is doing.” 

Jean-Luc was in the barn, getting things set up for their party. “Since Maman basically gave us this barn, I thought it would be ideal. Keeps us away from the house and we have plenty of sleeping bags for everyone.” He was setting a portable heater in place and turning it on while he spoke.

“Mm, and a toilet?” 

“Portable sanitation unit. Papa uses it when he has extra field hands in the summer and they tend to stay in tents in the field. It’s out back.” Beverly leaned up and kissed him. “Wow, you think of _everything_.” 

“I try. Who have we invited?” Beverly grinned. She liked being a ‘we’ with Jean-Luc. “Walker and Jack, naturally. Sora and Gemma, Donnie, Corey,Marta, and Jack asked to bring someone, but I don’t know her name.”

“Jack probably doesn’t, either.” Beverly laughed. “Do you think they’ll notice we’re together?” 

“Hmm. I mean, we could make a big sign with a heart on it ‘Johnny hearts Bevvy’ or something.” Beverly threw back her head and laughed and Jean-Luc couldn’t help but lean over to suck at her neck and she moaned. “Or, I could just give you a love bite. That’ll send the message.” Beverly swatted her boyfriend.

“Don’t you dare!” 

###

Jack looked around the barn. “Wow, you guys weren’t kidding when you said you lived a rustic life. No replicators?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “What if you get hungry?”

“Maman has prepared enough food for an army,” Jean-Luc indicated the heaving table. “I think we’ll be alright.” Jack grinned. “Have I introduced you to my friend? Mary?”

“It’s Meri. You know, like Merry Christmas.” Jack sheepishly grinned. “Sorry.” Jean-Luc held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, _Meri_ . Are you a fellow cadet?”

“No. I met Jack at a club last week.” 

“On Christmas Eve?” Beverly wrinkled her nose. “Hey, some of us gotta work, and we need customers.” Beverly’s eyes went wide. “You’re....”

“A dancer.” 

“Beverly dances, too.” Beverly rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. “Something tells me, not the same kind of dancing.” 

“Oh. Right.” Jean-Luc shot a furtive glance at Walker who followed him over to the side. “Did Jack bring a prostitute to my party?” 

“I don’t....I don’t _think_ so....” He trailed off and glanced back over at the woman named Meri. “She seems nice enough.”

“True,” he glanced over where Beverly was introducing Meri to Sora and Gemma and smiled. “Beverly and the other girls seems to be getting along with her alright.”

“Hmm. So, are you and Bev official now?” Jean-Luc nodded and Walker clapped him on the back. “Great! Hey, do you think Bev would set me up with Sora?” 

Someone had, fortunately, brought a portable music player and soon the room was filled with music. Jean-Luc turned on an old disco ball and Beverly laughed. “I didn’t even notice that! Where did it come from?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “Found it in the attic. Surprised it works.” 

They danced together and kissed occasionally and soon their group of friends all knew they were finally together. They had seen them kiss and dance before, but there was something _different_ about it this time. The kissing was more frequent and they were dancing intimately with Jean-Luc resting his hand just above Beverly’s bottom. Jack saw and frowned. He was hoping to get a dance in with Beverly. A plan hatched in his head and he leaned over and whispered to Meri. She nodded and made her way over to the couple.

“May I dance with the host?” Jean-Luc exchanged a look with Beverly and she nodded, so he kissed her before she walked away. Beverly wanted to keep an eye on Meri and Jean-Luc, but she was cornered by Jack. 

“Hey Bev, I see Johnny is occupied. Want to dance with me?”

“Uh, sure.” Beverly kept her eyes on Meri and Jean-Luc and she was shocked when Walker suddenly shouted out “Guys, it’s almost midnight! Grab your partner!” 

Beverly went to pull away from Jack in search of Jean-Luc, but she couldn’t see him and frowned. “Jack, do you see Jean-Luc and Meri anywhere?”

“No. Maybe he’s showing her the rest of the place. I think I saw them over by the ladder.” Beverly frowned. They had agreed not to share their loft space and had explained to their friends it was an off limits area. Why would Jean-Luc show it to Meri?

Walker checked his chronometer and started the countdown. Beverly panicked. Where was her boyfriend?

“TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE!” Beverly was tapped on the shoulder and pulled into strong arms. “FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!” Beverly was being deeply kissed, fortunately, by Jean-Luc. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered against his lips, “Where were you?”

“Later, love.” He kissed her again. Somewhere, Walker wolf whistled at the couple. 

By two in the morning, the party had become somewhat wild and Mari decided to give them a taste of what she did for a living. Jean-Luc tried to shut it down, but to no avail. When Mari took off her bra, Jean-Luc sighed and gripped Beverly by the hips. “Let’s go to bed. Let them...let them party.” 

“In the house or in the loft?” 

“Loft. Better to keep an eye on them, I guess.” Jean-Luc motioned to Walker. “Wal, we’re going to get some sleep. Can you....”

“I’ll keep an eye on things.”

“Good. We’ll only be in the loft. There’s plenty of sleeping bags and pads in the corner for you guys to spread out wherever but please keep everyone in the barn? At least until tomorrow morning? Papa and Robert will be up in a few hours....”

“Got it. Enjoy the rest of your night with your _girlfriend_.” Jean-Luc grinned and headed up the ladder behind Beverly. 

Beverly had already taken off her clothes and was climbing into the bed wearing just a camisole and panties. “Aw, I missed the show.” 

“There’s a show downstairs if you _really_ want one.” He chuckled. “Nope. Only interested in you, love.” He looked around and while there were a handful of cats wandering, none were Baby. “Did you leave Baby in the house?”

“Yeah. I thought it might be too much excitement for her. I didn’t want anyone to step on her.” 

“Mm, good thinking.” Jean-Luc stripped down to his boxers and got into the bed next to her. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to sleep until they turn off the music.” 

“That’s alright. I just wanted to be alone with you.” She twined their fingers together. “What happened at midnight?”

“Mari wanted to ‘show me a good time’. I told her I had a girlfriend and was quite capable of having a good time with her.” 

“You didn’t!” 

“I did.” Beverly rolled over and kissed him. “Thank you.” Jean-Luc cupped her face gently.

“Beverly, I love you.” 

“You, you do?” Beverly spoke softly as if unable to believe the words she was hearing. He nodded. “I do. I think I fell in love with you a while ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I was afraid...after we agreed not to date I didn’t want you to feel pressured to date me or tell me you loved me or....”

“Jean-Luc, I love you too.” He smiled and kissed her again. “I really wish we were in the house and not this loft with our friends below us.” Beverly grinned and whispered. “Want to see if we can be quiet?”

###

Yvette climbed the ladder to the loft after glancing around at the various bodies slumped in sleeping bags on the floor and smiled when she saw her son and his girlfriend snuggled together. “Jean-Luc? Beverly?” She kept her voice soft and Beverly slowly opened her eyes, then blushed because she was naked under the covers. “Morning, Maman....uhm...sorry?” 

Yvette shook her head. “Nothing to be sorry for dear. I’m glad to see you two finally together. Now, I’m making a big breakfast for your friends if you want to wake them up.” Jean-Luc grinned from beside Beverly. “Think we’ll just leave them a note. Sorry if the party got too wild last night.” 

“Not wild per se, but your father did find a naked Jack Crusher passed out in between rows of the vines last at five this morning half frozen.” Beverly suppressed a giggle. “What did Papa do?” 

“What could he do? He threw his coat over the boy and brought him inside. I sobered him, warmed him up and sent him to bed in one of the guest rooms. I hope you don’t mind, dear, but I lent him a pair of your pyjamas.” Jean-Luc grinned. “That’s fine. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“Pssht. I raised you and Robert. I’ve seen plenty of naked boys, thank you. Don’t think I don’t know you boys used to skinny dip in the river!” Jean-Luc blushed. 

“I’ll leave you two to get dressed.”

 _“Maman!”_ Beverly sunk back into the pillow and covered her head with the blanket. “I’m mortified.”

“Don’t be. Maman was only teasing.” Jean-Luc slid out from under the covers and retrieved his boxers and passed her her underwear. “Found everything of yours except your shoes.”

“I left them at the bottom of the ladder.” 

“Good thinking. “ He threw on his clothing and waited until Beverly was dressed to descend the ladder. Walker stirred from his spot. “Mornin’ Jean-Luc, Bev.”

“Good morning, Wally. Maman made breakfast in the house if you want to join us.” 

“Mmph.”

“I’ll take that as a no. Just, tell the others when they wake up. Oh, and Papa found Jack naked and half frozen in the vines last night. Know anything about that?” Walker shook his head. “Nope. He and that girl he brought were kissing on one of the sleeping bags when I went to sleep.”

When Beverly and Jean-Luc entered the kitchen, two things happened. A tiny grey kitten launched herself at Jean-Luc’s legs and climbed up his trouser leg and shirt to then jump onto Beverly’s shoulder, and they found Jack with his head in his hands at the table.

“Morning Jack!” 

“Nnnrrgh” 

“Hey Jack, want to tell us how you wound up naked in the vineyard last night?”

“No.” Beverly laughed. “Alright then.” Beverly took a seat while Jean-Luc fetched cups of coffee.

“You’re going to eat with that cat on your shoulder?” 

“Sure, why not?”

“Isn’t it...I don’t know. Unhygienic?” 

“Baby is a very clean kitten, aren’t you girl?” Jack rolled his eyes. “Hey, Johnny. Can I borrow some clothes? I...ah...”

“Help yourself. My bedroom is the second door on the right. Bathroom is the third door.” 

“Thanks.” Jack rose and went upstairs and Beverly burst into laughter as soon as he was up the stairs. “I wonder if we’ll hear anything out of Meri?” 

Sora, Gemma, and Marta were the first of the group to stumble into the kitchen. “Morning, ladies.” 

“Morning, Madame Picard,” Sora said and accepted a cup of coffee from the woman. “Mmm, thanks. Hey Bev, can we use your bedroom to change?” Beverly nodded at her friend. “Sure. Why don’t you show Gemma and Marta where my room is.” 

“Brilliant. Come on girls, Bev has an amazing bathtub with waterjets. It’s to die for. We might have to fight over it.” Yvette smiled. “Plenty of hot water for you all to have baths.” 

“Ah, Madame Picard, you’re the best!” Sora pressed a sloppy hungover kiss on Yvette’s cheek and started up the stairs. “Well, I’m not getting my room back for a while.” Beverly sighed. “Guess we should go wake up the guys and start cleaning up in there.”

“And find Meri.” Beverly frowned. “I didn’t see her earlier, did you?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, but if she left, she couldn’t have gone far. Unless she walked into the village, but without knowing where the path was....”

“She’d get lost in the dark and cold. Great. We might have a dead prostitute on our hands.” 

“Prostitute? One of your friends brought a prostitute to our home?” Jean-Luc sighed. “I don’t think so, Maman. She said she was a dancer.” Beverly snorted. “Sure, stripping.”

“Right. I’m going to go wake the rest of the guys. If Jack comes back down, make him wait for me. I want to shower and then Jack and I will go look for his friend.”

###

Jack told Jean-Luc and Walker what had happened while they searched through the fields near the house. 

“Meri wanted to have sex outside. She said she had never done it in the snow before. Who was I to say no?” Walker rolled his eyes. “Ok, so you came outside, got naked, had sex, and?”

“I don’t even know if we had sex. I don’t remember what happened after I took my clothes off. I don’t even know where my clothes _are_.” 

“Well, you _did_ have a lot to drink. But what are you doing bringing a prostitute to my party?” Jack sheepishly looked at Jean-Luc. “Sorry. I just didn’t want to be alone at midnight.” 

“Right. And then your Meri trying to get it on with me?” Jack squirmed. “I kinda...asked her to distract you so I could have a dance with Bev.” 

“ _Jack!”_

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I just wanted to dance with Beverly, no harm meant.”

“Could have just asked her, Jack.” Jean-Luc continued to scan the horizon. “See anything, Walker?”

“Nope. Nothing but snow. Not even any footprints. She couldn’t just disappear, could she?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I mean, if she _was_ a prostitute, she might have a personal transporter to get away from clients, but I don’t know why she would just take off from here. Jack, do you have a way to contact her?” 

“Not really. I mean, just the bar I found her at.” 

“Well, I guess we’ll have to assume she left. Did she take anything from you?”

“My clothes?” Jean-Luc chuckled. “Other than that.” Jack thought for a minute.

“Uhm. My credit chip was in my pocket. Shit.”

“You can use the console in the study to call your parents and cancel the chip.” Jack hung his head. “I messed up, didn’t I?”

“Big time, buddy. Big time.”


	9. Chapter 9

**2324**

Beverly was nervously pacing around her boyfriend’s dorm room. “Sweetheart, you’re making me dizzy.”

“Sorry. I’m nervous.” 

“I know. Come, sit. Have a cup of tea.” Beverly grinned. “You are your mother’s son.”

“And proud of it.” He handed her the glass mug and she smiled as she settled onto his bed and took a sip. “What if I fail tomorrow?”

“You won’t. We’ve done the sims a hundred times. Both with and without instructors. You know you’ll be fine. You can do this.” Beverly frowned. “I mean, I suppose as a doctor, I don’t _have_ to be able to pilot a shuttle.”

 _“Beverly.”_ Jean-Luc settled on the bed next to her and put his arm out for her to snuggle close. “You know you can do this. Why are you psyching yourself out?” Beverly detangled herself from his arms and set her tea down on the desk. She raked her fingers through her already wild hair and glared.

“I don’t know. Why are _you_ so confident?” He chuckled. “If I could tell you that...I’d gladly give you some of mine. All I can say is we both did well when we were in the practice shuttles and on the sims, so I see no reason why either one of us should fail. “ Beverly took a deep breath and picked up her tea again. “I suppose you’re right. Can we go to bed?” 

He kissed the top of her head. “Sure. We’re going to have to start sleeping at your place soon. I don’t want to get written up for having a guest too many nights.” Beverly sighed. “But I like your dorm better. It’s closer to everything else. I’m only close to the hospital, which makes _no sense_ since I barely have any classes over there.”

“Three more months, then we can go home for the summer and Walker and I will start to look for a flat for the four of us. You still ok sharing with Walker and Jack?”

“As long as Jack doesn’t bring home any more prostitutes.” Jean-Luc grinned. “We’ll write it into his lease.” 

“Good.” Beverly got up from the bed to put her cup in the recycler and removed her uniform. “Will we share a room?” 

“That’s up to you. Do you want your own space?” 

“Why? We sleep together almost every night anyway. I mean, can you handle actually living with me?” She grinned. 

“Well, I’m managing now.” He reached out and pulled her against him and nuzzled against her neck. 

“We should ask Sora to share with us.” 

“I’ll ask Walker and Jack, but I don’t have a problem with it. Then you won’t be quite as outnumbered.” 

“And Baby’s coming with us.” Jean-Luc nipped at her neck. “Of course she is. She’s your cat.” 

###

The shuttle pilot exams were being held in alphabetical order, which meant that out of their group of friends, Jack was first. Beverly and Walker were also in the first grouping, but Jean-Luc wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon and Sora had opted not to take the pilot exam at this point. Jean-Luc went with Beverly, Walker, and Jack anyway, mostly for Beverly’s sake. 

Marta came in through the doorways and sighed. “I’m so glad that’s over.” Beverly grinned at her friend. “How did you do?”

“Passed!” Marta brandished the certificate certifying her as a shuttle pilot. “Congratulations, Marta! I suppose Corey is going to be last?” Marta wrinkled her nose.”Yeah. Z W. I mean, really?” She shook her head. “He’s still sleeping.”

“Ugh, I wish. I’ve been up since four.” Jean-Luc groaned. “Yeah. And I’m not scheduled until after three this afternoon!” 

“Sorry.” Jean-Luc kissed her temple. “Can’t be helped. But I might need a nap after your exam.” Beverly grinned. “Is that an invitation?” 

Marta made a face. “Ugh, you guys are too adorable and sweet. I’m going to go get back in bed with Corey. Later guys!” Beverly waved at her friend and glanced over at Jack. “Good luck, Jack!” 

Beverly began to pace. The test took fifteen to twenty minutes, and she would be four cadets after Jack, which meant her exam would be in about an hour. Jean-Luc tried to get her to sit down, but she couldn’t. She tried several times, but claimed she needed to walk off her pent up energy. When Jack came through the door with a smile on his face, Beverly gave him a quick congratulations, and then continued her pacing around the room. “Uh...should I stay?”

“If you want to. I think Beverly would appreciate the moral support even if she’s being a little...”

“High strung?” Jean-Luc grinned. “You said it, not me.” 

Meanwhile, Walker was sitting in a corner, cramming. “Wal, if you don’t know it by now, you won’t know it.” 

“I know Johnny. I just...how can you be so calm?” Beverly heard him and laughed. “I asked him the same thing last night. It’s crazy how he’s not even at all worried.” 

“I told you last night, Bev. We did well in the sims, we did well in our lessons. There’s no reason to think we might fail. That goes for _any_ of us.” She rolled her eyes. “If only we all had your confidence.”

“This is why Johnny is going to make captain before any of us. His cool head.” Jean-Luc grinned at his friends. “Then you’ll all have to call me ‘sir’.” Jack snorted. “Fat chance.” 

“Howard, Beverly?” Beverly wiped her palms on her legs. “Wish me luck.” Jean-Luc caught her hand and pulled her into an embrace and gave her a kiss. “For luck. Go get ‘em!”

Jean-Luc found that while he was able to stay calm thinking about his own exam, knowing Beverly was in the air being tested had him up and pacing around the small room. Walker couldn’t help but laugh at him. “So much for being mister cool, eh?” 

“Shut it. “ 

Beverly tried to exude confidence as she approached the shuttle. “Cadet Howard, reporting for testing.” Her instructor tapped the PADD she was holding. “Medical cadet?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You know this is optional for you, right?”

“Yes, sir, but I want to be able to pilot my own shuttle and be able to command in my own right and not just as an honorarium.” 

“Commendable, Cadet. Now then, we’re using an older model shuttle for the exams, but you should have had access to this in the simulator. I will be your co-pilot but I will only do what you tell me to do unless I feel as though I need to take over. At which point, your controls will lock and you will have failed. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Great. So, take me through pre-flight check.” Beverly took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a minute to remember all the steps and she began asking her co-pilot to check things and contacting the tower to get clearance. All the while, she noticed her proctor would occasionally make a note on a PADD when she wasn’t being given a direction by Beverly. 

_“Cleared for take-off, Shuttlecraft Orion.”_

“Alright, Cadet Howard. Take her up. Instructions will appear on the screen and I want you to react to them. Again, use me for anything you would ask your co-pilot to do. You should have been training with a partner?” Beverly nodded. “Good. So just pretend I’m your training partner.” Beverly grinned. Jean-Luc had been her training partner. Beverly followed the instructions on the screen and took the shuttle out of the Earth’s atmosphere, around past her birth place of Luna, and then back down for an easy landing. 

“Congratulations, Cadet Howard. You are now a fully qualified shuttle pilot.” Beverly was handed a certificate and notified that the certificates were just for show and her file would be updated to indicate her status as a pilot. She was advised to keep the certificate safe until she was sure her file had been updated. 

Beverly grinned as she entered the lounge and Jean-Luc swept her up into an embrace. “I told you you could do it!” 

“The proctor told me to pretend she was my training partner....” Jack snorted. “So you kissed her?”

“Ha ha. Very funny.” 

“Keel, Walker?” Walker rose and passed his PADD to Jean-Luc. “Wish me luck, _Captain_.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes but gave his friend an old fashioned salute. “Want us to wait for you?”

“Sure. If I fail, you’re buying lunch.”

Twenty minutes later, Walker walked out with a smile on his face. “Has anyone failed yet?” Jack nodded.

“The girl who went after me. I saw her come out in tears with no paper.”

“I hope she had a friend to comfort her?” Beverly nodded. “Yeah, I saw her go off with a friend. I think she’ll be ok. I wish I knew who she was, though.” 

Walker clapped his hand. “Who’s for lunch?” 

After lunch, Beverly and Jean-Luc returned to his room and Jean-Luc attempted to take a short nap. Beverly went with him for his exam, and he was pleased to see Walker and Jack had decided to come along too. “For moral support. I mean, you were there for us,” Walker was quick to explain. 

Beverly gave Jean-Luc a good luck kiss and Jean-Luc walked confidently into the docking bay. Fifteen minutes later, he coolly strolled back into the lounge, holding his certificate.

###

The five friends sat crammed into Walker’s bedroom to discuss their living options for the next year.

“We could just rent something with five bedrooms for a year.” 

“Yeah, but Jack, then we’d have to keep renewing the lease and hoping it would still be available for the following year.”

“Couldn’t we just ask for a three-year lease?” 

“I don’t think that’s how this works. Plus, can we all afford monthly rent?” Walker looked at his friends. Beverly didn’t want to be the only one to say she wouldn’t be able to afford it, but fortunately, Jack spoke up again. “Not at those prices. Have you _seen_ what they charge? It’s almost twice as much as a normal place _per person_ simply because we’re Academy cadets.” 

Sora spoke up. “Uh...yeah, guys, I can’t afford that! Besides, that’s practically robbery!” 

Jean-Luc exchanged a look with Walker, who nodded. “Then, it’s settled. Walker and I will find a place to purchase and the rest of you can pay us nominal rent.”

“You guys can afford that?” Jean-Luc looked at the floor and Beverly reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. Jean-Luc _hated_ admitting he had money. “Uhm...well, the family vineyard is _really_ successful.”

“Johnny here is nobility.” 

_“Jack!”_

“Well, you are.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “I’m not. It’s just an honorific given to my family centuries ago. It’s no big deal. But to answer your question, Sora, yes. Between Walker and I, we have enough savings to purchase a four-bedroom flat. Besides which, we don’t know what will happen after graduation and we might wind up stationed here, so we might as well have a base we can share or lease out.”

“And then Bev and Sora will have a place to live during med school, too.” 

“Thanks, Walker, Jean-Luc. That’s very kind of you two. But really, are you _sure_? I mean, it’s a lot of money.”

“We’ll think of it as an investment. Property around the academy and headquarters will always sell, so we’ll have that option down the road, too.”

Walker passed PADDs out to Jack, Sora, and Beverly. “Alright, we want you three to write down how much you realistically can spend on rent, and then we’ll set the rent based on what you can afford.” 

Beverly wrote a number down on the PADD, even though Jean-Luc had told her not to bother. She felt weird not paying _anything_ , even if Jean-Luc’s parents had told her what was theirs was hers. The three friends passed the PADDs back and Jean-Luc and Walker looked at them together. They crossed out numbers and wrote new numbers and then passed the PADDs back. Beverly’s had her number crossed out with a big zero written. She managed to smile instead of frown, but she knew she’d be talking with Jean-Luc about this later.

“I can afford that,” Sora said. “Count me in.”

“Me too.”

“Great. Johnny and I will start looking at places.” Walker grinned. “Anything we should specifically look for?”

“Maybe, more than one bathroom?” 

“That’s a given. Oh, and Beverly is bringing Baby next year.”

“That cat of hers?” Jack frowned.

“Yes. _That cat of hers_. If you don’t want her in your room, you’ll have to close the door. But Baby was my Christmas gift to Beverly, and I promised her she could bring the cat to live with us.” 

“Fine,” Jack sighed. “I just...don’t like cats that much.” Jean-Luc grinned “Baby probably feels the same way about you.”

###

“Those exams were brutal.” Jean-Luc nodded and took off his uniform jacket, throwing it on the back of Beverly’s desk chair. His trousers followed. “No wonder they told us not everyone will survive. I think I barely scraped past in Chemistry.” Jean-Luc opened one of Beverly’s drawers and pulled out one of his casual shirts. 

“I’m sure you did fine.” Beverly walked to her closet and pulled out a dress for herself and a pair of trousers for Jean-Luc. “I’m so excited for tonight. Is everyone going?”

“I think so. I’m happy to be attending with you, but I _really_ wish I didn’t have to wear my dress uniform and the stupid sash. You know, that gets me entirely too much attention.”

“We’re not in France. Can’t you just not wear it?” Jean-Luc frowned. “I wish. No. When I had my dress uniform issued, it stated that I would be required to wear ‘any heraldic titles’. Didn’t yours say that?”

“Oh, maybe. I didn’t really look since the title thing didn’t apply to me.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Marry me and then you’ll have to wear one, too.” 

_“Jean-Luc_.”

“Sorry.” 

Beverly grinned back. “You know, half the time I don’t even know if you’re serious or joking, but we’ve only been dating since December.”

“Eh, I don’t know, I sort of count it as March.” 

“Hmm, then that means you’ve missed our anniversary.” Jean-Luc grinned and leaned over and kissed her. “I guess I’ll have to grovel and beg for your forgiveness.” He gently pushed her back on the bed. “Allow me...”

###

Beverly felt beautiful. She wore the blue velvet dress Yvette had given her and pulled her hair up into an intricate twist. “Wow,” Jean-Luc said when she answered her door. “You look amazing.”

“Eh, you’ve seen me in this before.” 

“Yeah, but you weren’t my girlfriend last time.” Beverly smiled. “Does that make a difference?”

“Means I can do this,” he kissed her passionately. “You did that anyway.” He grinned against her lips. “Mm, but I get to take it off you tonight.”

“You did that anyway too,” Beverly said with a grin. “Well, now I get to glare at any men who turn their eyes on you...” Beverly shook her head and started to open her mouth to speak “I know, I know. I did that anyway.” 

“Yep.”

They met up with their friends at the ball. All the ladies in their group of friends had decided to wear gowns except for Marta, who wore her dress uniform proudly. “I told Corey he should wear a dress instead. He wasn’t amused.” Beverly laughed. This time, when Jack tapped Jean-Luc on the shoulder and asked if he could cut in, Jean-Luc had smiled at his friend, kissed Beverly, and turned to Jack’s partner, a fellow classmate who Jean-Luc didn’t know the name of. 

Beverly and Jean-Luc danced the night away with their friends in celebration of the end of the academic year and during the awards ceremony they were both pleased to have received awards. Jean-Luc was called to the stage and presented with trophy for winning the academy marathon and for being the first Freshman to ever win it. The marathon had been a few weeks ago, and somehow, despite only minimally training, Jean-Luc’s years of cross-country training had paid off. Of course, no one told him it was kind of traditional to let a senior win, but they seemed to take it in good stride. 

Beverly won an award for being the only first year medical student to also pass as a pilot. She had blushed as she walked up to the podium to accept the award, but Jean-Luc beamed at her from his seat at their table and she managed to shake the hands of the superintendent as she accepted her award. When she got back to her seat, Jean-Luc kissed her cheek. “I knew you were special,” he whispered. 

The dance went on well past midnight, but Jean-Luc and Beverly were the first of their friends to go home. Beverly’s feet hurt and she was tired, but the group joked that they were the “old couple” of the group. Beverly didn’t care. They returned to Beverly’s room that night and Jean-Luc lovingly removed Beverly’s dress before lavishing attention on her until the wee hours. Beverly had sleepily kissed Jean-Luc when she was spent, promising him it would be his turn later. Jean-Luc chuckled and gathered his love in his arms. He didn’t mind, as long as she was happy.

###

Packing up was a nightmare for the couple. Walker and Jean-Luc were still looking for a flat, so they had to pack everything up for the Summer and take it home with them until Jack got the brilliant idea for them to all go in on a small storage unit together. Jean-Luc helped Beverly pack up and decide what items she had accumulated over the year would stay here and which would go home. She packed a few uniforms and her lab coat for her internship and a few PADDs with medical texts on them, but put the rest of her books into storage until the move. Her beautiful blue dress went into a garment bag alongside Jean-Luc’s dress uniform and then carefully packed into her trunk in case it was needed over the summer. 

Jean-Luc had chosen a more no-nonsense approach and had only packed one uniform to take home in case it was needed. He left all of his Academy texts behind, only packing his personal PADD with a few academic texts loaded onto it for perusing over the summer. He wrote the coordinates for the storage unit carefully on his boxes and called for them to be transported, then walked back to Beverly’s dorm with his smaller case to help her with her boxes. Beverly glanced at his small suitcase. “Well, that’s not fair. You’re hardly taking anything home.” 

“Hmm. Well, I don’t have an internship lined up so I’ll be working the fields with Papa and Robert, and you have my dress uniform.” 

“True. It’s just heavy.” 

“Doesn’t it have wheels?” 

“Good point.” 

Walker and Jean-Luc had a few places to look at that afternoon before they departed, and Beverly tagged along even if she felt it was unfair for her to give her input on the flat. The first place they looked at was too small - it had four bedrooms, but they were of unequal size and there was only one bathroom. The second one, while still affordable, was practically too big for the group with six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and two living rooms. They hit the jackpot on the third flat they looked at. Four bedrooms, one was a master bedroom with ensuite bathroom, and then two additional bathrooms. Walker decided Beverly and Jean-Luc would have the master bedroom, he and Jack would share the bathroom that was between two of the bedrooms, and Sora would have the third bathroom for her use. The flat also boasted a balcony that looked out over the Starfleet campus, and while they weren’t entirely sure how much use they would get out of it, the large floor to ceiling windows were a definite seller. 

The flat even had a small kitchen if they were so inclined to do actual cooking, alongside a replicator, and a clothes refresher unit was in a small room off the kitchen. There was one main computer console in the living room, but each bedroom had a hookup facility for personal comm units. 

Walker and Jean-Luc signed over half of the cost each and contacted the storage unit to move their belongings over right away. Walker, Jean-Luc, Beverly, Jack, and Sora made plans to meet at their apartment in four weeks time, when it would be ready for them to order furnishings. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our couple's relationship grows stronger.

Beverly and Jean-Luc didn’t see each other much their first two weeks of break, despite living in the same house. Jean-Luc would rise at 0400 with his father and brother and by the time Beverly went to bed in the evening, Jean-Luc was already asleep. They had only shared a bed a few times, deciding it was just easier to sleep apart . Doctor Keats’ office was closed on Sundays, and so she gave Beverly Sunday and Monday off and Jean-Luc was able to convince his father to allow him to have those days off too so the couple could finally spend some time together in their loft. 

Beverly leaned over and kissed Jean-Luc before snuggling against his shoulder. Jean-Luc had moved aside one of the ceiling planks so they could look out at the stars, and they spent their time sharing Jean-Luc’s antique telescope and identifying the stars they had learned about at the Academy in between kisses and caresses. Baby was ever present and was sitting above Jean-Luc’s head, licking his hair and occasionally catching his bald spot with her rough tongue, making him laugh. “I don’t think Baby likes my bald spot.” 

“Hmm,” Beverly reached up and stroked it gently. “I don’t mind.”

“I’m going to look like an old man by the time I’m thirty.” 

“You think? Robert still has most of his hair, although Papa is nearly bald.” 

“So was Pepe, Maman’s father. Doesn’t male pattern baldness follow the mother’s genes?” Beverly grinned.

“Well, _yes_ , technically.” 

“Ah, see? I did pay attention in biology.” Beverly snorted. “Yeah, elementary school biology. Baldness is an inherited gene, and while it is nominally carried on the mother’s side, it’s also possible for it to be carried on the father’s side, especially if both parents had fathers who were balding. Does that make sense?” 

“Sort of. So it kind of...increases my chances of being bald?” 

“Uh-huh.”

“Great,” he said sarcastically as Baby took another swipe at his head with her tongue. “I suppose any children I have will wind up bald?” 

“Depends on the mother’s father, too.” Beverly frowned. “But, I suppose I don’t actually _know_ if my father would have been bald.” Jean-Luc turned towards her, causing Baby to meow at being disturbed but pulled Beverly flush against him. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I wasn’t thinking...”

“No, it’s alright. I’m ok.” He kissed her gently. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“So you...think about having children with me?” Beverly blushed. “I think it’s something all girls do when they have a boyfriend. They start to picture their future together.” 

“Alright,” Jean-Luc said as he repositioned them for Beverly to rest her head on his chest. He twined their fingers together again, and smiled when Baby crawled on top of his chest to rest her head on their hands. “Tell me about it.”

“We have three children.” 

“Three?”

“Mm-hmm. A boy first, then two girls. Our boy feels outnumbered, but we decide against a fourth.”

“Practical.”

“Mm. We raise them on a starship, naturally,” she grinned.

“Naturally. I assume I’m the Captain?” 

“You are indeed. And I’m in charge of the infirmary. Our eldest wants to attend the Academy and be just like his papa. Our middle girl wants to be a veterinary, and our youngest is our day dreamer.” He smiled. “Do they have names?” She shook her head, jostling Baby. “No. I mean, it wouldn’t be fair if I named our children without your input, would it?”

“I suppose not,” he chuckled. “So, when do we get married? I assume we are?” 

“When I finish medical school. We live apart while I did my residencies and don’t like it, so we get married and ask to be placed together.” Jean-Luc grinned. “I can see that happening. So, a long engagement while you’re in med school?”

“Short. We decide we don’t want to wait anymore and get married in La Barre while you’re on shore leave.” 

“Do we get a honeymoon?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Hmm,” Beverly thought about it for a minute. “Yes, but you surprise me.” 

“I can do that.” Jean-Luc pulled Beverly on top of him and she laughed. “Good thing Baby moved.” 

“Beverly, I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” She leaned down and kissed him, her hair making a perfect curtain around their faces. He kissed her back and settled his hands on her waist. “Beverly, I promise you, I will propose to you after you graduate medical school.” Beverly blushed. “Are you...promising yourself to me?” 

“Is that what you want?” 

“I....I don’t know,” she admitted. “We’re still young, but...I know I love you and I want my dreams to be reality.” 

“I love you, and I want to have those three children with you and take you on my starship with me.” 

Beverly moved to straddle him. “Is there a word for not engaged, but promised to be engaged?” 

“I don’t know. Betrothed, maybe?”

“Maybe.” 

###

It was a Monday, a few weeks before Jean-Luc’s birthday, and Beverly had dragged him out into the village of La Barre to do some shopping for his mother. He sighed. “How many places do we have to go?”

“Maman wrote me a list on paper,” she giggled. “I offered her my PADD, but...” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Maman may be more in touch with modern amenities than Papa, but she still loves doing things the old way. Same reason we don’t have a replicator even to replicate simple things like vegetables or bread.” Beverly nodded and consulted her list.

“We need to go to the farm stand for some vegetables, the butchery,” she wrinkled her nose. “It’s not real meat, is it?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “Of course not. You’ve been eating food at my house for over a year now, don’t you think I would have told you if it was real?” 

“So, what’s a butchery?” 

“Basically it’s where you can go to get simulated meat if you don’t own a replicator. “ 

“Oh, ok. Then, Maman has a list of sundry items to pick up at the grocer. Apparently, we’re almost out of flour and tea. Oh! And Maman wrote that she needs cocoa and I think a few of these are in French, so you’ll have to decipher them.” Jean-Luc groaned. “Looks like a really long list.” 

“Mm. Buy me lunch in the cafe?” 

“Of course.” He took her hand and they strolled along the aged street, stopping to pick up the items on Yvette’s long list along the way. They paused just outside a jewellery store and Beverly happened to glance in the window. Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “See anything you like?” Beverly shoved him. “It’s your birthday soon, not mine.” 

“Well...I thought I might give you a promise ring? It won’t be the engagement ring...but something for you just to know that I will give it to you when we’re ready?” 

“Will you wear one too?”

“Sure, if you want me to. I guess it’d be allowed with my cadet uniform.” Beverly frowned. “Oh, I don’t even know if _I_ can wear a ring.” Jean-Luc pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Why don’t we go inside and look. Looking doesn’t cost anything, and I know you. You’ll rush home and look up the regulations, won’t you?” Beverly’s eyes glinted. “Of course.” 

Beverly settled on a flat band with twisted pattern that had a matching ring to fit Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc explained to the jeweller that they had to check to make sure they could wear them with their uniforms before they could buy them, but if it was permitted they wanted those rings and the jeweller had smiled and offered to set the rings to one side for them. He didn’t anticipate anyone else coming in and wanting those particular rings, but he had seen the love between the two youths and saw how much the young lady had liked the twisted branch pattern. Plus, he knew the Picards well. Maurice had been purchasing baubles for his wife from his shop for over twenty years, and the elder Picard boy had recently purchased a necklace for his fiancée. If he wanted to keep the Picard family business, he was willing to set a pair of rings aside.

###

When they got back to the vineyard and unloaded Yvette’s purchases, Beverly headed straight to the stairs. “Where are you going?”

“To check the handbook.”

“You have a copy with you? I assumed we would have to borrow the console to look it up.” He looked incredulously at the woman he loved. She really _was_ an avid learner. “Just on my PADD. “ 

“Ah, right. Well, I’m going make some tea. Want me to bring you a cup?” She nodded and leaned over and kissed him. “I might even go read in the bath.” He shook his head. “The _cadet handbook_? That’s hardly relaxing.” 

“Mm, it is to me.” Jean-Luc pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’ll be right up with your tea.”

Jean-Luc hurried to make a pot of tea for them to share and gathered it on a tray with two cups. He pushed open Beverly’s door and laughed. “What happened to the bath?”

“Baby. She demanded cuddles.” 

“After you had taken off your shirt and skirt?” He grinned at the sight. “Yep. She likes bare skin.” 

“I’ll say. I still have tiny claw marks on my chest from the other night.” Jean-Luc sat the tray down and gently laid down on the bed next to Beverly to not jostle the cat. “Mm, nice view.” He reached over and gently tweaked her nipple and Beverly mimicked the cat’s purr. “You like that?” 

“Mm-hmm.” Jean-Luc grinned and lavished attention on her breasts with his fingers and tongue, bringing Beverly to the edge. Baby had left the couple after realising they weren’t going to play with her, and Beverly pushed Jean-Luc’s trousers down. “I need you.”

“What about the bath? And the handbook? The tea will go cold...”

“I don’t care. It can wait.”

“Papa will be back soon...” he said as he danced his fingers along her torso. “Shhh”

###

Beverly had her PADD balanced on her knee in the window seat with a cup of tea. She looked over at Jean-Luc, who was reading his own PADD lounging on the settee.

“Yes,” she simply said. “Yes?”

“Uh-huh. It says cadets are permitted to wear wedding rings or wedding-like rings....” He grinned. “I’ll go back into town for them.” 

“I’ll come with you,” Beverly rose from the window seat. “Just let me put my PADD away. Want me to take yours up too?”

“Yes, please.” 

“Sure, if you wash my cup!” Beverly cheekily grinned and grabbed his PADD. He shook his head and carried their empty cups into the kitchen. “Maman, we’re going to go on a walk. We should be back by supper.” Yvette nodded. “Why don’t you take Beverly out to dinner at the pub. I know this summer hasn’t been exactly what either of you expected with working.”

“It’s ok, Maman. Beverly is getting valuable experience. What else was I going to do while she did her internship?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I just wish I didn’t have to go to bed so early. It would be nice to spend a _little_ time with Beverly in the evenings.”

“Go have a nice dinner. Don’t stay out _too_ late, but I’ll square away a morning lie in with your father. Will you stay up in the loft tonight?” Jean-Luc grinned. “Yeah, I think so. I have something...important to give Beverly.” Yvette raised an eyebrow. “You know where her ring is if you want it.” He shook his head. “No, not yet. We’re going to give each other promise rings.” Yvette beamed. “It’s a good step for now.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “Go, have a nice evening.” 

“Thanks, Maman.”

###

Jean-Luc and Beverly held hands in the early evening light as they walked home. The sky was streaking with shades of pink as they walked back from the village. Their new rings made a heavy weight in Jean-Luc’s pocket, but they had decided to exchange the rings privately instead of in the middle of the village or in the pub. Jean-Luc wanted it to be special, and what better time than sunset? He gently tugged on her hand to follow her to a bend in the little river that ran behind the vineyard and he paused. 

He reached for her other hand and squeezed them. “Beverly?”

“Yes, Jean-Luc?”

“I love you. And I want to make a promise to you that I will ask you to marry me when we’re a little bit...”

“Older?”

“Well, I was going to say settled? Is that the right word? Oh, I’m not making this very romantic am I?” Beverly giggled and leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “You’re doing fine. I love you too.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Well, that’s good.” 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the box containing their two rings and held out her ring. “Will you wear this to symbolise our promise?” Beverly nodded and he slid the ring onto her finger. “Your turn.” She placed the larger ring on his finger and he flexed his fingers. “Feels kind of weird, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.” 

“I’ve never worn a ring before. Do you think our friends will think we got married?”

“Probably. Do you care if they do?” She shook her head. “No. I mean, our friends will know we’re promised and if a stranger thinks we’re married....”

“Yeah.” He kissed her again. “Jean-Luc?”

“Hm?”

“Can we go home?” 

###

Beverly woke to the sound of her alarm on her PADD. Next to her, Jean-Luc stirred. “Morning, sweetheart.” 

“Morning, Jean-Luc.” Beverly rolled over and kissed him. Jean-Luc grinned and grasped her hips and thrust against her. “Nuh-uh. I have to be at work in an hour” Jean-Luc frowned. “I’m not _really_ upset. I’m so proud of you. What have you been doing for Doctor Keats?”

“Honestly, a lot of office work. Since I haven’t had any training, she can only have me observe if her patient agrees. But I can work in the lab processing samples and making up hyposprays, so at least I’m getting lots of experience in a lab! Doctor Keats said she thought I might be able to get lab credit for it, too. She’s going to contact the Academy and ask. It’s not much, but it’ll give me a little extra free time once we start lab work.” Jean-Luc grinned. “I like you having more free time.” Beverly rolled her eyes, kissed him again, and got out of the bed. “Ooh, Maman brought up pyjamas for us.” Beverly donned hers and passed Jean-Luc his shorts. “Time to get breakfast. Walk me to work today?” 

“Sure. “

When they walked into the kitchen, Yvette immediately took Beverly’s hand in hers. “Very nice.” Beverly blushed. “I wanted something a little earthy. Look, it almost looks like a grapevine.” 

“Jean-Luc, does yours match?” He held out his hand. “It’s slightly wider, but it has the same design.” 

“I can’t tell you two how happy it makes me to know that you are promised to one another. Here, sit. Have some breakfast before Beverly is too late to eat.” 

Doctor Keats noticed Beverly’s ring right away. “I’m assuming that’s a promise ring and not a wedding ring?” Beverly blushed. “Yes. Jean-Luc and I....we didn’t want to be engaged yet, but we wanted to be committed.” 

“Ah, young love. Congratulations. Now, I thought I would have you in the lab again. The Academy’s responded and as long as you put in twenty hours per week in the lab, it will count towards your medical studies.” 

“That’s brilliant! Thanks Doctor Keats!” 

###

Jean-Luc’s birthday was spent in a quiet celebration. Beverly had asked for the day off, and the two enjoyed taking the horses out as they hadn’t had the time yet to go riding together. Jean-Luc had said he didn’t want a present, he considered the promise ring his present, so Beverly just prepared a picnic complete with birthday cake. 

They were lounging on a blanket near the riverside when Jean-Luc chuckled. “What’ so funny?”

“Remember last summer?” He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her. “You mean, when we were in denial about dating and being in love?”

“Yeah,” he said as she climbed into his lap. “We were so stupid.” She nodded and reached for the zip on his riding top. “Mm-hmm.” 

The couple was not entirely dressed when they heard an approaching horse and Jean-Luc groaned around a nipple. He hastily wrapped the blanket around Beverly and pulled on his trousers, hoping the rider wasn’t planning on staying long. Robert dismounted and wiggled his eyebrows at the couple.

“Maman sent me to get you. Beverly, your grandmother is here.” 

“Oh, I forgot Nana was arriving today!” Beverly went to sit up and blushed. “Uhm, Robert? I’m kind of naked under here...” It was Robert’s turn to blush and he hastily turned his back on his brother’s girlfriend. “Sorry, Bev.” 

Jean-Luc zipped back up his riding top and started gathering together their picnic while Beverly finished getting dressed. “I’m decent now, Robbie.” Robert grinned as he turned around. “I see Jean-Luc shared my childhood nickname with you. Did he share his?”

“No! What did you call him? Some of our friends call him Johnny.”

“We used to call him Jean Jean.” She grinned. “Nana called me Bevvy when I was little.” 

“At least Bevvy makes you think of a little girl with red pigtails. Jean Jean just sounds silly.” Beverly kissed his nose. “I like it.”

“You guys are entirely too sweet.” Robert made a face and Beverly stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ve seen you and Marie. Set a date yet?” 

“Not yet. Marie’s mother is being funny.” Beverly frowned. “Funny? “

“She wants us to have this long drawn out engagement and wants us to have a house before the wedding. She thinks it’ll be weird to live with Maman and Papa after we’re married.” 

“Oh. Will it?” Robert shrugged. “I dunno. Problem is, I don’t want to be too far away from the vineyard.” Jean-Luc puzzled his brother’s predicament over for a moment. “What about the guest house?”

“Maybe. At least until we find a place to live. I’ll suggest it to Marie. Thanks, Jean-Luc. Now, are you two ready to head home?”

“Yeah. Uh, Robert? Do I have any grass in my hair?”

###

Felisa noticed the glint of a ring on Beverly’s finger as soon as she walked into the kitchen and she grabbed her hand. “ _Beverly Cheryl Howard!_ You got married and didn’t tell me!?” She held her granddaughter at arm’s length. “Well, you’re not _pregnant_.”

“ _Nana!_ ” Jean-Luc noticed Beverly turn five shades of pink and he felt his own face heat up. He reached for Beverly’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Nana, I am _not_ pregnant, and Jean-Luc and I didn’t get married. We’re...pre-engaged. Betrothed.” Nana patted Jean-Luc’s cheek gently. “I’m sorry Beverly, Jean-Luc. Beverly, did you do the sacred handfasting?”

“N....no. We just exchanged rings and pledged our love and promised to get married when we’re a bit older.” 

“You should do the handfasting to make it binding.” Beverly rolled her eyes.

“Nana, is that _really_ necessary?” Felisa Howard turned her eyes to her granddaughter. “Your parents were handfasted, Your pappy and I were handfasted, and my parents were handfasted. It is a _Howard_ tradition. Considering I know you will ignore the other one, please give your old grandmother this one?”

“What’s the other tradition, Felisa?” Yvette had been watching the interaction with interest, willing to step in if the older woman was upset or angry with the young couple. “The man takes the Howard name to keep it going.”

“Oh, so Beverly’s mother was your daughter?” 

“Yes. The Howards...there hasn’t been a male child in centuries to carry on the name. But now, it will die with my dear Beverly because I already know she will take the Picard name when they marry.”

“Sorry, Nana.” Felisa waved her hand. “I understand, my dear. If only your parents...well never mind. So, humour an old lady and have the handfasting ceremony?” Jean-Luc turned his eyes towards Beverly. He didn’t know what it was, but if it was important to Beverly’s grandmother....

“What’s a handfasting?” 

“Ah, I’m glad you asked, my dear boy. Handfasting has been used in the past for centuries for different purposes. Some say that the original idea was to be married for a year and a day for the couple to ‘trial’ the marriage and test their compatibility. For others, the handfasting served as the wedding itself. But for my family, the handfasting was simply a formal way of announcing your intentions to be married before you were engaged.”

“So...a betrothal?”

“Precisely, my boy. Did you know your beloved Shakespeare was handfasted to his dear Anne?”

“No, I didn’t. Wow. Beverly, do you want to be handfasted to me?” Beverly shrugged. “I already know we’ll get engaged and married in a few years, but if it will make Nana happy....”

Felisa clapped her hands. “Good. Now, Beverly dear, do you have a white dress?”

“You mean, like a wedding dress? No, Nana.”

“You have that white holey one?” Jean-Luc suggested. “White holey one?” Beverly blankly looked at Jean-Luc, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“Yeah, the one with the yellow flowers and the neck line goes like this,” He made a straight line across his chest and Beverly grinned. “You mean, the _eyelet_ dress?”

“Um, if that’s what it’s called.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Alright, I guess I can wear that dress. Why is it important for it to be white?” 

“Symbolises the maiden’s purity.” Robert snorted and Jean-Luc shot him a glare. “Sorry.”

Felisa looked over Jean-Luc, still clad in his riding gear. “You will need something nice, too. Hmm, it’s a shame you don’t have any Scottish blood in you.”

“Why?”

“A kilt would be ideal.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “Nana, no. Jean-Luc isn’t going to wear a kilt.” Felisa opened her mouth to speak again. “-or his dress uniform!” 

“I mean, if means that much to your grandmother....” 

“No, Jean-Luc. You have plenty of nice clothing. Save the uniform.”

“So, when do we do this? Where do we do this?” Yvette smiled at the couple. “What about my rose garden, Felisa?” 

“Perfect! The sooner the better.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “I’m off on Sunday. So is Jean-Luc.” 

“Sunday it is. The sooner the better since I gather you two have....”

“ _Nana!_ ”

###

Beverly climbed into bed next to Jean-Luc and he rolled over and yawned. “Thought we were sleeping apart when I had to be up at four?” 

“Changed my mind. Complaining?”

“Nope. Come here,” he extended his arm for her to snuggle close. Baby jumped up on the bed and made herself comfortable on Jean-Luc. “Well, I see the whole family is here.” Beverly giggled and lightly traced circles on Jean-Luc’s chest. 

“Thank you for humouring my grandmother . We don’t have to do her handfasting thing if you don’t want to.”

“No, it sounds like it’s important to her,” he gently stroked Beverly’s face with a finger. “And, Beverly? If I thought we were ready, I’d marry you tomorrow and make you Mrs Picard. I really _do_ want to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

“Hmm, you say that now....”

“I say that _always_.” He tilted her face up to his and kissed her. “I might only be nineteen,” Beverly grinned. “You’re going to lord this age difference over me for the next three months, aren’t you?” He rolled his eyes. “Fine. _We_ might only be nineteen. Better?”

“Much.”

“Can I continue?” He waited for her to nod. “We might only be nineteen, and might be each other’s only partner, but well...when you know you know, right?” 

“Yeah.”

###

Beverly felt more than ridiculous. She was wearing the white dress, but her grandmother had replaced the yellow sash with a wide, long, white ribbon that tied behind her and trailed down her back. She was barefoot, and she had a feeling if her grandmother thought she could have gotten away with it, she’d have told the couple to be naked. Jean-Luc was wearing a loose blouse and black trousers and also was barefoot. Beverly thought he looked like a pirate out of one of the old storybooks she had as a child. He just needed an eyepatch and a parrot...though apparently, Baby had decided to ride on his shoulder, so it was close enough. She giggled when she joined him in the garden. “New fashion accessory?”

“Every time I put her down, she just climbs back up.” Beverly reached up to scratch her cat under her chin. “She just doesn’t want to be left out.” 

Yvette had a bit of cloth in her hand. “It’s the best I could do. Felisa asked me if we had any rope, and of course we have plenty, but it’s all for use in the vineyard and is quite coarse. I found this scarf in my wardrobe.” 

“Ah, it’s perfect, Yvette.” 

Felisa led the two in the small ceremony with Yvette and Marie watching on. Jean-Luc still thought it was a little silly, since he had already told Beverly he intended on asking her to marry him, but he repeated the words of the vow once more while Felisa bound their hands together. 

After the ceremony, Felisa, Yvette, and Marie went back into the house but Jean-Luc walked Beverly over to a bench where they sat holding hands and occasionally kissing. Baby had gotten bored and clamoured off of Jean-Luc’s shoulder and walked back towards the house – no doubt planning on tempting Yvette into feeding her. Jean-Luc grinned against Beverly’s lips. “Would you like to take this to our loft?” 

“Mm, yes please.” 


	11. Chapter 11

“How are we moving our footlockers to our apartment?” Beverly closed hers up and sat on top of it. “Since we’re not returning to campus, I understand we aren’t eligible to use the Academy transport.” She frowned. 

“Papa called his shipping company for us. They’re going to take our footlockers and they will be delivered to the flat the day after we arrive, so just pack a small bag with things you’ll need right away...though of course, the flat _does_ have a replicator and we won’t need to feed it credits since it’s ours!” He grinned. 

“Beverly dear, I wondered if you had any room in your footlocker for this?” Yvette came into Beverly’s room with a blanket in her arms. 

“Maman, we’ll have blankets. And a replicator.” 

“I know you will, Jean-Luc, but not a blanket from home.” Beverly opened her trunk and peered in. “There’s a little room....can we compress it?”

Jean-Luc reached into Beverly’s trunk and pulled out some of her belongings. “Why don’t we divide all our belongings between the two lockers? Bound to be room for everything that way.”

“Mm, good idea.” Beverly pulled out a compression cube. “There’s still lots of room in here for clothing. Go fill it.”

“Yes, dear.” Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her before heading across the hall to his own room and Yvette smiled at Beverly. “I know I’m not supposed to know, but you and Jean-Luc are sharing a room?”

Beverly blushed and nodded. “I’m sorry, Maman. Are you upset with us?” 

“ _Non_. You two spend most of your nights together at home, why wouldn’t you just share a room at school?” Beverly grinned. “We thought you hadn’t noticed we started sharing a bed again.”

“Maurice may be blind to it, but I was not, my dear. Now, I’m going to go make a pot of tea. Would you like to join me?” 

###

Jean-Luc took the rattling cat basket from Beverly, who had been struggling to hold onto it and she frowned. “It was nice of Maman to purchase transporter credits for us, but I’m not sure Baby enjoyed that.” 

“Hmm. We’ll just have to go home the long way via shuttle next time.” He held up the basket so Beverly could see in through the slats. “Baby...it’s ok. We’re here. Mommy and...uh..Daddy,” she grinned at Jean-Luc, “are right here. You’re safe. We’ll be going to our new home now.” Baby turned around in her carrier and refused to look at Beverly. She laughed. “Well, her attitude has returned.”

“Beverly, did you just call me the cat’s father?” 

“Yep. Got a problem with it?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, not at all.” 

The flat was closer to the transportation center than it was to campus, but everything was within walking distance. Jean-Luc was soon entering in the codes to get into the flat and handed Beverly an envelope. “Your codes and emergency keys.” 

“Emergency keys?”

“If the electricity goes out or the panel breaks...or if you forget your codes.” Beverly grinned. “You mean, if I get that drunk again?” 

“Something like that.” 

“Nope. I’m never getting that drunk again. Show me our bedroom?”

“Don’t you want to see the rest of the flat?” Beverly shook her head. “Nope. Bedroom before everyone else gets here. Then tour.”

“Alright, but at least let Baby out to explore.” Beverly set the basket on the floor and opened it for Baby who tentatively emerged. “Go ahead. Explore. We’ll be in the bedroom. The one with the catflap on the door so you can get in if we have it closed.”

###

Walker was the first to arrive, dragging his footlocker behind him and he laughed when Baby brushed against his legs. “Hey, Baby. Where are your parents?” He glanced around and saw the closed door to their bedroom and grinned. “Ah, I see.” He pulled his footlocker into the bedroom he said would be his and tried to make as much noise as possible to alert the couple that he was there. Baby wandered into his room and sniffed around, curiously. Walker grinned at the kitten. “I still can’t believe Beverly brought you. She has Jean-Luc wrapped around her finger....”

Jean-Luc heard his friend moving around and chuckled as he held Beverly against him. “Walker’s here. I think he’s talking to Baby.”

“Mm, that’s nice.” Beverly was pressed up against Jean-Luc and had no intentions on moving anytime soon. “I take it you’re comfortable?”

“Very.” He squeezed her around the shoulders and turned his head to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Me too.” They cuddled together until there was a knock on their bedroom door.

“Yes?” Walker opened the door a crack, just far enough so he could speak.“Guys, it’s me, Walker. Just wanted to let you know Jack will be here in about an hour.” Beverly groaned. “You mean, I have to get up?” Walker laughed.

“Sorry, Bev.”

“Walker, you can come in. I’m under the covers.” Walker sheepishly grinned as he pushed the door open. “Just didn’t want to disturb you guys.” Jean-Luc chuckled and brought his hand out from under the covers, where the light caught the simple band and Walker gasped. “Did you guys get married this summer?!” 

It was Beverly’s turn to laugh. “No...”

“Then what’s that ring on Jean-Luc’s finger?” 

“Beverly and I are betrothed.” Jean-Luc beamed at his friend. “Betrothed? Isn’t that like, really archaic? I mean, I know your family is old school, but....”

“It was our idea, Wally.” 

“Oh. Well, cool. So when will you actually get married and stuff?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “After graduation, at least. We might wait until Beverly finishes medical school. The point is, we plan on being together for the rest of our lives.” Walker smiled. “That’s awesome!”

“Thank you.”

“Hey...can we prank Jack?” 

###

They made Jack ring the doorbell to gain entry. “Uh, guys, my codes didn’t work....” Jean-Luc and Beverly looked at him sheepishly from the sofa. “Oh, you didn’t get Walker’s message.” Jean-Luc frowned and kissed the top of Beverly’s head. “Sweetheart, I think Baby needs you.” Beverly nodded and rose to walk to one of the bedrooms.

“Baby? You guys have a baby?” Jack noticed the ring on Jean-Luc’s finger. “WOAH! When did you guys get married?! Does Walker know? When was Beverly pregnant? How did I not notice? What do your parents think about this? How are you going to be parents and still students? Does Starfleet even allow married cadets? Oh my god, you guys probably broke like ten rules!” 

Jean-Luc struggled to keep a straight face. “So you understand, Beverly and I are going to need your bedroom for Baby.” 

“What?! Geez, Johnny. No. You can’t do that to me! There won’t be anything else available even remotely close to campus this close to the year starting! What’s wrong with making Walker leave?” 

“Uhm...he owns half of the flat.” 

“I signed a _lease_ with you guys! Johnny, you can’t. No. I’m staying. I don’t care.” Beverly and Walker came out from the bedroom area, Beverly with the kitten in her arms and Walker was laughing.

“Oh, Jack. The look on your face!” Jack looked confusedly between Beverly and Jean-Luc. “No baby?”

“Nope, only Baby. Beverly’s cat.”

“Married?” Beverly shook her hand. “Not yet. Just betrothed.” 

“So I....I still live here?” Walker clapped Jack on the shoulders. “’course you do, Jacky. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Uh...thanks. Uhm, is that cat seriously living here?” Beverly nodded. “Mm-hmm. Doesn’t Uncle Jack like her?” 

“ _Uncle_ Jack?” 

“Sure! Baby is my baby....” Jack shook his head. “No. Just...keep her out of my room?” Beverly rolled her eyes. “She’s a cat, Jack. She’s not going to attack you in the middle of the night,” Beverly sighed. “Fine. I’ll try. Just leave your door closed and she’ll learn she can’t go in there....but you’re going to have to deal with her in the rest of the flat. I’m not restricting her to our bedroom.”

“Ugh, where is she going to poop? Don’t they like, do it in dirt? Won’t it stink?”

“No. We have an automated litter tray in the utility room. It self cleans when she uses it.” Jack wrinkled his nose. “You mean, she’s going to poop next to the kitchen?” 

“In the _room_ next to the kitchen.”

“Yeah, but that’s where the clothes refresher is.” Beverly gave Jack a blank look. “So?”

“I don’t want my clothes smelling like poop!” Jean-Luc shook his head at his friend. “They won’t. Trust me. My family has at least six cats living in our house at any given moment and you can’t smell a thing.” Jack grumbled. 

Baby squirmed out of Beverly’s arms and jumped to the floor. She sniffed around Jack’s legs before turning her nose up and waltzing into Beverly and Jean-Luc’s bedroom, where she jumped onto the bed and settled on the quilt Yvette insisted they hand carry. Beverly couldn’t help it and burst out into laughter. 

Sora arrived in the midst of the laughter, struggling to drag her footlocker behind her with another bag on her shoulder. Walker hurried over and took the locker from her and carried it back to her bedroom. “Thanks Wally. What have I missed?”

Beverly was still laughing and Jack was rapidly turning red. “Nothing.”

“Tell me!”

“Baby has expressed her dislike of Jack.” 

“Yeah, and they pranked me,” he grumbled. Sora grinned. “Too bad I missed that!” 

Jean-Luc clapped his hands. “Right. Now that we’re all here...I suppose we need to go over a few things? Set some ground rules?” 

“It’s your place, Johnny. Whatever you and Wally want.” Wally grinned and leered at Sora. “Oh, really?” Sora batted him away. “Stop.” 

“Sorry,” he leaned over and kissed her cheek and she smiled.

“Obviously, Beverly and I are living together, so it would be wrong of me to tell you two you can’t bring people over that you’re dating, but if they start spending all their nights here, Wally and I expect rent from them.” 

“Fair enough,” Sora said. Jack only nodded. 

“No parties unless we all agree,” Walker added. Beverly grinned. “But what if we want to throw a surprise party?” 

“Uh, I guess that would be the exception, but everyone _else_ would have to agree.”

“The building has quiet hours from 2300 to 0700 Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday they don’t apply. I think that’s pretty fair and we don’t need additional quiet hours, do we?” People shook their head, except for Beverly. 

“Uh...Sora and I start some of our pre-med classes. If we have an exam, can we _ask_ you guys to be quiet earlier?” 

“Of course. That goes for any of us we have a big exam...we have the right to ask the others to be quiet. Hmmm...what else?”

“Don’t drink my alcohol!” Jack said. Jean-Luc laughed. “Fine, no one drink Jack’s alcohol.”

Jack glanced over at Sora. “Aren’t you going to ask them?”

“Ask who what?”

“Bev and Johnny.” Sora gave Jack a blank look. “What am I supposed to be asking them about?”

“The rings?” Sora glanced at Beverly and Jean-Luc’s fingers. “Sorry guys, I didn’t notice them.”

“It’s ok. Before you ask, no, we’re not married. They’re betrothal rings.” Sora nodded. “Nice.”

The friends settled into an easy routine. It helped that for the most part, they were taking the same courses, except for the one pre-med class Beverly and Sora had. It wouldn’t be until their third year that Jean-Luc, Walker, and Jack would have to decide on areas of specialty. Walker was already considering Engineering and Jack quite liked the idea of going into Security, but Jean-Luc was undecided. He wanted to do the command track, but the academy recommended picking a secondary interest as it was rare for a newly graduated Ensign to find themselves on the bridge. It usually took at least six months. Jean-Luc was torn between studying Stellar Cartography and Archaeology....a class he had reluctantly taken the year before when it was the only science class available for the timeslot. But would being an archaeologist help him on his way to becoming a captain? 

###

“Bev, is your nana coming to La Barre for Christmas again?” Jean-Luc and Beverly were sharing a suitcase for the trip back to La Barre, and Beverly was folding her favourite jumper into it. “Yeah, she should be on the transport ship now.” Jean-Luc groaned. “What’s wrong?”

“Your grandmother is going to ask me if I proposed to you yet.” 

“Nah, but she’ll probably ask you next summer.” Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. “Something to look forward to, then. Maybe Marie and Robert will have set a date and the focus will be on them!”

“Hm. Hey, are we going to the yuletide ball again?” 

“Uhm. Do you want to?”

“Well, it’s kind of like our anniversary....” Jean-Luc was glad he was behind Beverly and she couldn’t see his panicked look. “I’ll pack my dress uniform. What about you?”

“Ah, you forget we have a replicator. I’ll pick something off the menu and replicate it before we leave.” 

“And Baby?” Beverly turned around and raised her eyebrows. “Of course we’re taking Baby. Isn’t that why we booked a shuttle instead of taking the transporter?” Jean-Luc grinned. “I was kidding. Now, I suppose you want me to get out of here so you can pick a dress?”

“Yep. No peeking until Christmas Eve. I’ll pack your dress uniform for you.” 

###

Beverly shooed Jean-Luc out of her bedroom on Christmas Eve. “Go get dressed in your own room. I want to surprise you!” 

Jean-Luc could only grin back and gave her a kiss before he left her room and went downstairs. His mother and Felisa were sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea. 

“Maman, Felisa. Can I join you?”

“Beverly kicked you out to get ready?” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck “Yeah. I don’t get it. Why is it going to take her so long? It will take me ten minutes, probably less to put on my dress uniform.”

“Ah, if we told you what we did, it would destroy the magic.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at his mother. “She’ll be gorgeous no matter what she wears.” Felisa beamed. She liked this young man. “You be sure to tell her that, Jean-Luc.” 

“I do, Felisa.” Jean-Luc poured himself a cup of tea and sat down with the ladies. “Do you think Beverly will like her present? I mean, last year we started dating on Christmas day and I gave her her cat...I don’t know if this will top that.” Felisa reached over and patted Jean-Luc’s arm. “She’ll love it, because she loves _you_. She may have teased you about it needing to be spectacular, but I know my Beverly. She doesn’t _need_ it to be spectacular.” 

“I know, but I want it to be special.” 

“It _will_ be. Tell me the plan again?” Jean-Luc grinned. “Well, I can’t really decide when I want to give it to her. Tonight after the ball? Or tomorrow?” Yvette gave her son a knowing look. “Are you sleeping out in the loft tonight?” 

“I hadn’t thought about it. I’d love to, but I think it will be cold, and I know Beverly will want Baby to sleep with her.” Jean-Luc grinned. Baby was a very well-behaved cat who listened to everything Beverly or Jean-Luc told her to do, and she spent most nights curled up with them in bed. Christmas Eve would not be an exception, he was sure of it. Yvette pursed her lips. “Hmm. Your father and I will not come to the ball until much later, once I convince him to go. I will go into the loft and turn on the heaters for you. I will even put your pyjamas in the loft and put Baby in there.” 

“Thanks, Maman. I think I’ll go up there and do a little decorating if you don’t mind.” Yvette shook her head. “Help yourself to whatever was leftover in the attic after we decorated.” Jean-Luc grinned and downed his tea. “Hope I can get it done before I need to get dressed!” He leapt up from his seat and Felisa smiled at Yvette. “Those two are so perfect for each other.” 

“I know, Felisa. Is it wrong to already picture the grandbabies?” 

“Not at all!”

###

Beverly laughed. “Hold on, let me take off these heels. I can’t go up the ladder in them.” Beverly pulled off her shoes and hitched her long dress up to her thighs and Jean-Luc grinned. “Oh, stop it.” She climbed up the ladder and gasped. “Jean-Luc...did you... _when_ did you do all this?” 

Every exposed beam was covered in strings of fairy lights. There was a small table in the corner with a Christmas tree on it, a bottle of wine, and a plate of cheese, crackers, and other savoury snacks. “I did the lights and the tree. Maman must have brought up the food when she brought Baby up and turned on the heater.” Beverly grinned. Sure enough, her cat was curled up on the bed and looked at them as if to say “Where have you been?”

“I love it.” She kissed him deeply. 

“I never know what you like more, sharing the large bathtub or our private loft.” Beverly tilted her head. “Hmm. If we could move the bathtub up here....” he chuckled. “Hm. No plumbing out here, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Oh! Or a bath under the stars.” He shook his head and kissed her back. “Now you’re just setting unrealistic goals for me.” 

“I have faith in you!” She reached for him and started removing his uniform. He caught her hands. “What’s the rush? We have all night.” He pulled her close. “Dance with me?”

“We were just _at_ a dance. And, there’s no music.” Jean-Luc walked over to the table where his PADD was and he pressed a few buttons. Music filled the loft space. “Planned this, did you?”

“Well, it _is_ our anniversary.” Beverly grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”


	12. Chapter 12

Beverly woke up on Christmas Day, warm and content. She rolled over and kissed her boyfriend. “Happy Christmas, Jean-Luc.” 

“Mm, it is now.” He slid his arms around her and pulled her against him, deepening her kiss. She laughed. “We should probably go back to the house. Maman and Nana will be looking for us at breakfast....” She went to rise from the bed, but Jean-Luc grabbed her. “Just a few more minutes?” 

“Well, you don’t have to ask me twice.” She snuggled back under the thick covers and they both closed their eyes. 

They woke up later and Jean-Luc stretched. “I suppose we had better put in an appearance.” 

“Mmm, what time is it?” Jean-Luc glanced at the old clock he found to decorate the loft with. “Just after ten.” Beverly grinned and kissed him. “Happy anniversary!” 

He chuckled. “So it is. Happy anniversary, my love. Would you like your present?”

“Ooh, I get a present too?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Cheeky.” He got up and padded over to the table where his PADD was and picked it up. “Well, this is a pretty good present. I _do_ enjoy your naked rear.” 

“Well, if that’s all you want,” Jean-Luc wiggled his hips, making Beverly laugh. “I’ll just return this...”

“Don’t you dare!” He turned around and grinned and brought the PADD back over to her. 

“You got me a new PADD?”

“No,” he kissed her nose. “Look _on_ the PADD.” He gently took Baby out of Beverly’s hands and replaced it with the PADD. “A beach? You’re giving me a beach?” She looked at Jean-Luc, puzzled. “ Wait, what?” 

“No, sweetheart. We’re _going_ to the Riverea. For New Year’s.” She grinned. “Everyone? Or just us?”

“Just us, my love. Well, and whoever else is staying at our hotel.” Her grin got bigger. “Tell me about it?”

“Ah, well, it is the premier hot spot, or so I’ve been told. Our hotel overlooks the Mediterranean. Beaches, and boating if you want to try sailing. It won’t be as warm as if we went in the summer, but still warmer than here. There are so many things we can do...”

“You mean, other than enjoy being alone in a hotel room with a spectacular view?” 

“Well, there is _that_.” Beverly scratched Baby behind her ears. “What about Baby?” 

“I spoke with the hotel, and if we want to bring her along, they will provide a self-cleaning tray for her, but she’ll have to stay in our room. We wouldn’t be allowed to take her into other parts of the hotel.” She frowned. “I guess I can understand that.” 

“So....do you like it?”

“No,” Jean-Luc frowned. “I love it!” He laughed and leaned over to kiss her, lowering her back against the pillows. “Keep that up and we’ll miss breakfast with the family.” 

“Don’t care, happy now.” He rested his head against her breasts and she laughed and tapped his shoulder. “Come on.” 

###

“Weather grid’s holding up,” Jean-Luc commented as he stood on their balcony dressed in a pair of shorts.

“Mm, I’m glad. Now I don’t regret packing this.” 

“Packing what?” Jean-Luc turned around and swallowed. Beverly had worn possibly the tiniest bikini he had ever seen. “Uhm....” 

“Close your mouth. You’ve seen me naked. My bikini shouldn’t be _that_ much of a surprise.” Jean-Luc grasped her by her hips and tugged her close. “Mm, maybe I don’t want to share you with everyone else who will no doubt picture you naked.” 

She laughed and pushed him away. “I could say the same thing! Mister tight-shorts!” She reached down and snapped the back of Jean-Luc’s swimtrunks and he yelped. “Hey!”

“You deserved it.” He grinned. 

“It was worth it!” 

The laughing pair pulled on cover-ups and were soon headed down to the poolside. Jean-Luc snagged some colourful drinks off a tray and passed one to Beverly. “I don’t know what ‘s in it, but it’s pink?” Beverly took a sip. “Pretty good....woah, there’s a lot of alcohol in there. And it’s _not_ the synthetic kind!” 

“Hmm. Better not have too many then.” They rounded the corner by the poolside and Jean-Luc nearly dropped his drink. Nearly every woman was sunbathing topless, some even nude...and some of the men were participating, too.

“Uhm....” Beverly shook her head. “ _You’re_ the French one. You should be used to this.” Beverly reached behind her neck and untied her bikini. “Uh...”

“Well, might as well join in!” She reached for Jean-Luc’s waist band and he caught her hand. “Maybe..um....not for me.” 

“Are you....are you _turned on_?” Jean-Luc blushed. “Maybe...maybe a little?” Beverly rolled her eyes. “I’m not putting my top back on.” 

“No, I didn’t think you would.” Jean-Luc sat on a chair and balled his shirt up in his lap. Beverly eyed him. “I mean, is this really going to be a problem?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Just...give me a minute. Uhm...maybe a dip in the pool will help....” He stood and tossed his shirt on the chair. “Be back in a few.” 

Beverly merely smirked as she settled into her lounge chair and picked up the PADD she had carried down to read. 

Jean-Luc returned after fifteen minutes, drying himself off with a towel he was handed. “Do you feel better?”

“Yes, thank you.” He glanced down at her. “But I still love your breasts.”

“I know you do. That’s why I thought you’d like them on display. Be glad I didn’t take off my bottoms too!” Jean-Luc grinned and reached for his waistband. “Well, as you said...when in Rome...” 

Beverly’s eyes glazed over when Jean-Luc stepped out of his suit. “I hate you.”

Jean-Luc leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her lips. “No you don’t.”

Beverly kept sneaking glances over at Jean-Luc while he sunbathed nude. _How did I get so lucky?_ A waiter appeared at her elbow. “Madame? Would you and Monsieur like another drink?” Beverly blushed. Of course, they would think they were married since they were wearing matching rings. She glanced over at Jean-Luc, who had his eyes closed with a small smirk on his face. “Yes, please.” 

###

Beverly and Jean-Luc were making out in the lift. They were joined by another couple, and Beverly slid her legs back down from around Jean-Luc’s waist and blushed. “Honeymoon?” 

“Uhm....”

“Ah, well, don’t let us stop you. Young love is so beautiful.” Jean-Luc flushed. The lift stopped and the couple got out. One of the men turned to Jean-Luc and said “As you were,” and winked. The doors slid shut and Beverly couldn’t help but laugh.

“I can’t believe they thought we were on our honeymoon. Why did they think that? The guy who brought our drinks thought we were too.” Jean-Luc held up his hand. “Rings? Promise rings aren’t common.”

“Maybe.” Beverly leaned over and kissed him again. “But I expect a honeymoon even nicer than this one.” 

###

The hotel was hosting a party on New Year’s Eve, and the couple decided to attend. Beverly wore her blue velvet dress once again, and Jean-Luc put on his dress uniform and adjusted his sash. “I’m doing this for you, love. I hate this thing.”

“Mm, but you’re so handsome. Hey, will people still think we’re married if I’m not wearing a sash? I noticed Maman has one, too. It’s not that I mind, but we kind of haven’t corrected anyone this week...”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Well, we can’t _lie_. I suppose I could leave it off...no one would know....” Beverly shook her head. “No. Maybe they’ll just think it was an inherited title for you only. They’ll only know if they actually research it that it applies to spouses too, right?” 

“I’m sure no one will even ask.” 

The party was elegant, more elegant than anything either of them had ever attended and they both felt a little bit like a fish out of water as they twirled around the dance floor. “Jean-Luc, some of these women are wearing jewels that cost more than Nana’s house on Caldos!” Jean-Luc smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek before whispering in her ear, “Why do you think Maman lent you that necklace and those earrings?” 

“What? _Really?”_ He nodded. Beverly’s eyes bulged out and she moved her hand to her throat, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you have worn them? Besides, they’re very old. They’ve been in the Picard family for years. Maman doesn’t really care for them and I don’t think Papa does either. They’re just....Picard heirlooms. Baubles. Maman will probably insist that you keep them, too.” Beverly shook her head. “Oh no, I couldn’t. Not if they’re very expensive.” 

Jean-Luc shrugged. “You’re part of the family now. What’s mine is yours.” She blushed. “I’d say what’s mine is yours, but all I have is that stupid Howard lamp and about a million journals written by Howard women.” 

“Journals?”

“It’s a tradition, apparently.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you keep one?”

“A little. I mean, I don’t write in it as often as Nana writes in hers, but I write about significant events in my life. Things I might want to remember later or things I might want my children – our children- to know.” Jean-Luc’s eyes gleamed. “Do you write about me?”

“Of course.” 

“Can I read it?” Beverly smacked his chest. “No. Not now. Maybe...someday.” 

“Alright.” The music changed and he gave her waist a squeeze. “It’s nearly midnight. What do you say to ringing in the new year in privacy?”

“I say, lead on and grab a bottle of champagne.”

###

Beverly was sitting up in bed later that night, tapping on her PADD. “What are you doing?”

“Just writing about the dance.” 

“Oh. I thought you kept a paper Journal?” Beverly shook her head. “I used to, but I switched to writing it on my PADD when I was here before we started at the Academy. Easier than lugging around a notebook.”

“Is that why you were so upset when your PADD was broken?”

She nodded. “I was worried I lost everything.” 

“Did you?”

“No, you saved it all. Which was good because I,” she blushed, “I wrote a lot about you and our first time and I didn’t want to lose it.”

“All good things?” Beverly’s blush deepened. “All good things.” 

“Hmm. I hope you share it with me someday. How do you keep other people from looking at it if they pick up your PADD or if you lose it?” 

“It’s encrypted. Do you know Sora’s friend Dan?” Jean-Luc nodded. “He created a key for me. And I have my files backed up now, too. Those are voice operated. Dan also put a little...well, he called it an Easter Egg on my PADD. If someone tries to hack into my journal files, my PADD deletes everything.” She levelled a glare at Jean-Luc. “So _don’t_ try to snoop!” She grinned.

“Like I would. So, it’s kind of like a personal log like we will have to make when we’re serving?”

“Yeah, I guess.” 

Jean-Luc furrowed his eyebrows. “Hmm. Personal log. I find myself in bed with a beautiful woman who has promised to spend the rest of her life with me and I feel it’s time to ravish her. End personal log.” 

Beverly laughed, but placed her PADD on the bedside table and let him kiss her.

###

Jean-Luc was up in the loft, alone, several days after their return. Beverly had gone to visit her friend Doctor Keats to ask if the doctor would hire her next summer. Jean-Luc thought he would try taking the time to sit down with a PADD to start to keep a personal log and he was sitting on the bed with his PADD in his lap, with no luck. He stared at the blinking cursor. He almost wished he could speak his log out loud, and then with a start, he realised he could. 

“Speech to text.”

_“Speech to text activated.”_

“Personal log...Beverly has been keeping a journal for many years and I thought I should try so I would be more comfortable speaking about my daily activities before I find myself on a ship and am required to do so. 

“Beverly and I have just returned from our anniversary trip to the Rivera and what an incredible time. I’m not sure I know how to top this trip, but she challenged me for our honeymoon...which won’t be for another few years as we still need to get engaged and married, but I know it will happen. I love her. I know it sounds crazy to say that when she’s the only woman I’ve ever been with, but I don’t have any desire to meet anyone else and neither does she. She completes me in a way that I never thought anyone would. I always thought I would be alone-“

“What are you doing?” Beverly’s head popped up at the top of the ladder.

“Erm...trying to do a personal log like you, but I couldn’t write, so I thought I would speak. Uhmm...” Jean-Luc pressed a button on his PADD “End personal long. End speech to text.” 

“You didn’t have to stop.” She smirked as she knelt on the bed in front of him.

“You didn’t...hear anything, did you?” 

“No, what were you saying?” He blushed. He could tell from her tone that she heard him.

“Oh...nothing.” Beverly raised her eyebrow. “ _Really_? You sounded pretty passionate earlier.” She ran her hand down his chest and leaned in to kiss him. “ _Very_ passionate.” 

“Oh?”

“Mm-hmm.” She pushed him back onto the bed.

###

Jean-Luc and Jack came in from wrestling practice, with Jean-Luc rubbing his jaw. Beverly and Sora were deep into studying, but Beverly looked up and gasped. “What happened?”

“Took a foot to the jaw during practice.” Beverly frowned. “How is that even possible?” 

“Simple,” Jack said, walking over to the replicator and replicating beer for him and Jean-Luc. “The other guy cheated.” Jean-Luc nodded his thanks at his friend and took a sip of the liquid. “This is going to be sore for a while.” 

“Did you see a doctor?” 

“I saw the nurse on duty at the sports center. Does that count?” Beverly rolled her eyes. “If she fixed your jaw, yes. Otherwise, you should have gone to the infirmary.”

“She gave me a shot.” Jean-Luc rubbed his jaw again. “Can’t feel a thing.” Beverly narrowed her eyes. “But did she check it, scan you with a tricorder to see if it’s broken?” 

“I can still talk, so how can it be broken?” 

“Hmm. Here, Sora and I ordered pizza. Help yourself.” Beverly watched as Jean-Luc picked up a slice and took a bite, then at the faces he made as he tried to chew and swallow. 

“Did that hurt?”

“Just....just a little,” he winced. Beverly sighed and headed to their bedroom and came back with her newly issued medical tricorder. “Stay still.”

“Am I your first patient, Doctor Howard?” She grinned. “Yep. Also, this says you have a fracture. Is the regen still in the bathroom?”

“Should be.” Beverly nodded. “Wait here.”

“Aren’t you going to kiss it better?” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Later.” 

Jean-Luc sat on the stool at the counter and Jack couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s predicament. Jean-Luc glared back. “You laugh now, but wait until you’re the one injured and you get Beverly _and_ Sora on you.” 

“Did I hear my name?” Sora looked up from the text she was reading. “Sorry, kind of in the zone right now.” 

“Just saying to Jack that if he gets injured he’d have you and Bev both taking care of him.” Sora grinned. “Sorry, Johnny, would you like attention from me, too? Am I being neglectful?” 

“It’s fine, Sora. I was just teasing Jack.” 

Beverly returned and Jean-Luc’s jaw was bathed in the blue glow of the regen. “I can’t believe you didn’t go to the infirmary.” 

“Well....I knew someone who would take care of me.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “What about you?” She turned her eyes to Jack. “Did you get injured?”

“Nothing a soak in the bathtub won’t cure. Want to join me?” Jack wiggled his eyebrows at Beverly, who glared. “No.”

“Sora?”

“Hmm?”

“Want to join me in the tub for some therapy?” Sora wrinkled her nose. “Pass.”

Walker came out of his room dressed in his running gear and Sora grinned. “But I bet Walker will!” 

“Walker will do what? What did I miss? Hey Johnny,” Walker glanced at Jean-Luc. “Get injured at practice?”

“Yeah. Some idiot decided to cheat when he wasn’t winning and kicked me in the face.” 

“Ouch. You joining me in the gym?” 

“Gym? Didn’t you just work out at practice?” Jean-Luc wiggled his eyebrows at his girlfriend. “Ah, but I need to keep my physique in top form. I don’t see you complaining.” Beverly shook her head. “Your jaw is healed.” 

“Thanks! Do I get a kiss now?” He puckered his lips and Beverly pecked him briefly. “I’ll see you later. Have fun at the gym.” 

Jean-Luc swivelled off the chair. “Just let me grab my gym shoes, Wal.” 

“Will someone tell me what I’m going to do?” Sora giggled. “Take a bath with Jack.”

“Uhm....no thanks.” Jack pretended to pout and placed his arm around Walker’s shoulders. “But...Wally.....” he batted his eyes. “I thought....” 

“Piss off.” Walker shoved him and Jack laughed on his way back to the bathroom. “Oh, hey, Bev? Do you have any of those muscle salts from Madame Picard? Those are amazing!”

“Uh, yeah. Probably in my bathroom. Go help yourself....but take them to your _own_ bathroom this time?” Jack sheepishly grinned. “Sorry. Your tub just looked so inviting!” 

###

Walker helped Jean-Luc adjust the weights on the machine he was about to use. “Have you decided on your field of interest yet?” 

“No,” Jean-Luc shook his head. “The problem is, Professor Galen offered me an opportunity this Summer to go with him on a dig.”

“Wow, man, that’s amazing! Are you going to go?” 

“I don’t know,” Jean-Luc adjusted himself in the chair and started doing leg lifts. “I mean, if I go, that would sort of solidify that I’m going to go into archaeology...and I just don’t think that’s very useful. At least, not a skill for a Federation Captain. Maybe if I was captaining a _private_ ship...plus, the dig will last for six months.”

“Six months? What about the Academy?”

“I’d have to drop out or take a leave of absence and try to catch up to graduate on time when I got back.” 

“Man, I don’t envy you having to decide. Have you talked to Bev?” Jean-Luc finished mentally counting off his rep before pausing. “No. I’m not sure how to. I know she’ll tell me to go for it if it’s what I want and will advance my career....but _will it?”_ Walker shook his head. “Maybe stick with Stellar Cartography. Or Astrophysics. Hey, you’re kicking butt in that class!” 

“Hm. I never thought about Astrophysics. I mean, it’s a little more challenging than Stellar Cartography, isn’t it?” Walker slowly nodded. “And, you want to make Captain, right?” 

“I do. Don’t you?” Walker shrugged and picked up a set of hand weights. “I’ve never really thought about it. I suppose it’s the logical conclusion to move our way through the ranks, but I don’t think I’m bothered with how fast or slow it takes.”

“I suppose that’s a good attitude, but I guess I’ve always felt like I’ve needed to prove my worth and the best way to do that is to become Captain as quick as possible.” 

“But who do you need to prove yourself to? Your father? I thought you guys were getting along better now?” Jean-Luc held up his hand as he finished his next rep. “We are, but...years of his belligerence still weighs on me.” Jean-Luc untangled himself from the machine ad joined Walker in lifting hand weights . “Plus, I’d like to make Beverly proud of me.” Walker grinned. 

“And become Captain so you can make her your Head of Sickbay?” Jean-Luc grinned back. “Well, the thought _had_ crossed my mind. Especially if we have children. I don’t think I’d want to be away from my wife and children the way some officers are....” he trailed off and sheepishly grinned a Walker. “Sorry. No offense meant to your father.”

“None taken. It was tough at home. It was just me, mom, and my two little sisters most of the time. It was never guaranteed when we would see Dad. So, yeah, I wouldn’t wish that on any kid,” Walker put the weights away and clapped Jean-Luc on the back. “You’ll be a good father. I know it.”

“Maybe. It’s not like I have a shining example in Papa.” 

“Well...just think about how he’s been now, since Beverly has entered your life.” Jean-Luc grinned. “He calls Beverly his princess.” Walker grinned. “She’s definitely that.” 

###

Jean-Luc knocked on the doorframe of the professor’s open door. Professor Galen looked up and smiled at his protégé. “Ah, Cadet Picard. Come, let me show you some of the preparations I’m doing for our dig.” 

“Sir, I’ve come to talk to you about the dig.” Galen nodded. “Of course. Naturally, I’m sure you’ve come to find out all of the details and when we are leaving. No doubt you’d like to spend some time saying goodbye to that lovely Cadet Howard,” he paused to smile at Jean-Luc. “If this dig beomes successful, we might be gone for a year or two...maybe even three.”

“Three?” Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. If he was still on the fence about the trip, learning that he could possibly be away for three years would have solidified his answer. The professor nodded. “Three. So what did you want to talk about?”

“Sir, I’m sorry. I can’t go with you on this dig.” Galen frowned. “I see. I understand you feel apprehensive about leaving your..is she your wife or your fiancée? Doesn’t matter. But you know, my boy, if your love was meant to last, it will survive you being away.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, it’s not because of Beverly. I mean, she’s only one of the reasons. Sir, I came to the academy because I want to become a starship captain one day-“ Galen opened his mouth to speak and Jean-Luc cut him off. “A _Starfleet_ starship captain.” 

“I see.”

“And, as much as I enjoy the archaeology....I don’t think it’s exactly the skillset I would need in the future.” Galen sighed as he nodded. “I understand, my boy. I can’t help but tell you how disappointed I am, but I know you have done what’s right for you. I would hate to have taken you along only to find out you hated it after two weeks and wanted to return home. Now go. Please leave my office.” 

“Sir, what about class? I still need the grade...” Galen waved his hand. “Yes, yes. Of course you’ve passed. Don’t bother coming to class the rest of the year.” 

“Uhm, alright then. Goodbye, professor.” Jean-Luc turned and walked out of the man’s office, secure in the knowledge that he had made the right decision.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Stalking, PTSD from assault

Jean-Luc walked into the bedroom he shared with Beverly after returning from a long, late run and grinned. Beverly was at the desk in the corner with PADDs and books and notes all around her fast asleep. Third year really was rough on her. She had to get into the top ten percent of pre-med students or she wouldn’t be guaranteed a place in the medical program. If she didn’t get into the top ten percent she would have to apply separately and there was always the possibility of not being successful and needing to pick another field of study or attend a non-Starfleet medical school. She didn’t like that option, so she had spent most of the summer continuing her work with Doctor Keats, only taking off the two weeks her grandmother was visiting to help further her chances. Now that the academic year was in full swing, she had been spending her evenings either pouring over her books in their room or at the library. 

Jean-Luc gently prodded her shoulder. “Sweetheart? Bev...come on, let’s get you in bed.” 

“Mmph?” Beverly sleepily looked up at Jean-Luc and he smiled. He lifted her into his arms and stood her on her feet. “Let’s get you changed for bed, ok?” He removed her uniform and kissed her breasts when he removed her bra. “Pyjamas or naked?” 

“Naked.” He grinned as he slid off her knickers. “You’re beautiful.” She smiled. “You too?”

“I need a shower first. I just got back from my run.” He pulled back the covers and got her into bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead . “What time is it?”

“Around 2300? I’ll be back in about ten minutes.” 

“Ok,” Beverly sleepily said. She yawned and Baby hopped up on the bed and curled up next to Beverly. No doubt the cat was also waiting for Jean-Luc to get into bed, as she had a habit of sleeping on his chest, usually next to Beverly’s head. He scratched Baby under her chin before going for his shower.

When he returned, Beverly was fast asleep.

Beverly stretched and yawned in the morning. “How did I get into bed last night?” 

“I undressed you and put you to bed. You were talking to me, but I guess you were half asleep.” Beverly rolled over and kissed him. “You decided I’d be naked?”

“No, you did. I offered you pyjamas or naked. You said naked.” 

“Oh.”

“Did you get a lot of studying done?” She nodded as she rose from the bed and tied her dressing gown into place. “I hope so. Big exam coming up on Friday.” She frowned. “In fact, it’s the biggest exam of my career so far. If I don’t pass this, I’ll risk falling out of the top ten percent.” 

“What can I do to help?” She shrugged. “Nothing, really. Just keep doing what you’re doing....I love you.” Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around her waist kissed her ear. “I love you, too. Will you let me take you out on Friday?” 

“Just us?”

“Just us. Unless you’d like to invite anyone else.” She shook her head. “No, it’s been a while since we got to go out just the two of us.” 

“Ah, the demands of being popular,” He tied on his own dressing gown. “Want a cup of coffee?” 

“Mm. And can you feed Baby? I need to find my notes for today in that mess over there.” 

“Sure,” Jean-Luc turned to the cat. “Come on, Baby. Let’s get you some breakfast.”

###

Beverly tried to enjoy her evening out with Jean-Luc. They went to a small restaurant and then followed the dinner with going to see a local band perform. Jean-Luc hadn’t thought much of the music, but he knew Beverly usually enjoyed it. The whole time though, Beverly couldn’t help but worry about her grade on the exam and she frowned when she should have been smiling. Jean-Luc gently touched her wrist. “Do you want to just go home?” 

“I’m sorry. This was such a nice surprise but...”

“You’re worried about your grade and can’t enjoy yourself?” She nodded. He slipped her hand into his. “Come on, let’s go home and cuddle. It’s Friday, I bet everyone is out and we’ll have the place to ourselves.” 

Back at the flat, Beverly kicked off her shoes and headed for the replicator. “Tea?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Yes, please. Bedroom or living room?” 

“No one’s home, let’s turn on the fireplace and snuggle out here with a film.” 

“Let’s change into our pyjamas first.” Beverly grinned. “Ah, you know the way to my heart.” 

Walker came home with his date on his arm and he started laughing. “Anya, meet my parents, Jean-Luc and Beverly.”

“Hey!” 

“Seriously. You guys. It’s _Friday night_ and you’re snuggled under blankets, drinking tea, and I bet Baby is in Beverly’s lap and you’re in your pyjamas under there too.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Yeah. And?”

“Just saying, that’s awful old of you.” 

“Well, I think it’s sweet!” 

“Thank you, Anya.” Walker just rolled his eyes. “Ok, _Dad,_ enjoy your tea with Mom.”

Walker brought his date into his room and Beverly laughed. “Are we _really_ an old couple?” Jean-Luc brushed her hair back behind her ear. “No. We just know what we like.” He kissed her ear and then gently bit down. Beverly let out a soft sigh. “I _do_ like going out.”

“I know. And when you’re feeling less anxious and overwhelmed about your studies, we’ll go out. But for now,” He kissed her softly, “We’ll stay in.” 

###

Winter break was a few days away, and Beverly still didn’t know how she had done on her exam. There had been some kind of problem with grading the papers, where a few of the candidates had written word for word responses and it was being investigated. As a result, none of the medical candidates had been permitted to see their grades or rankings. Beverly flopped onto the bed. “It’s not fair! How can we go away and have a fun break when we still don’t know if we made it into Medical or not?” 

Jean-Luc sat on the bed and patted her leg. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart.”

“Hmmph. _You_ have your grades. _You_ don’t have anything to worry about.” Jean-Luc laid down and pulled Beverly against him. “Want me to hold you?” She nodded as teasr filled her eyes. “Shh, Sweetheart. I know it’s hard, but you were in the top ten before the exam, right?” 

“Eighth from the top.” He kissed her temple. “That’s in the top ten percent, right?”

“Yes, but barely. I really need to get my ranking a little higher so I won’t have to worry next year.”

“I know you will. You’re brilliant.” She shoved him. “You’re biased.”

“Well, there is that. But come on, we’ll go home and help Maman decorate for Christmas and have a brilliant two weeks at home.” She smiled. “And the wedding! I can’t believe Robert and Marie are finally getting married. Are they moving into the guest house?” 

Jean-Luc nodded. “For a while, at least. Maman wants to redo a wing upstairs for them, but I don’t know what they’ll decide.” 

“That means next Summer it might just be you and I with your parents....” 

“Well, we always have our loft.” Beverly grinned. “Can we spend Christmas Eve up there again? It’s kind of like our tradition now.” 

“Absolutely. After the ball...ugh, do we _have_ to go to the ball this year?” Beverly giggled and threaded her fingers into his. “You know we do. Especially if Robert and Marie will be on their honeymoon. _Someone_ has to represent the vineyard.” He sighed. “The only good thing about the ball is getting to see you in a beautiful dress.” 

“Thank goodness for replicators, but I might wear my bridesmaid dress since it will only be a few days after their wedding. Is Robert making you wear your dress uniform?”

“Yes,” Jean-Luc groaned. “He doesn’t even like Starfleet. I’m _sure_ he’s doing it to annoy me and because he knows I couldn’t say no.” Beverly laughed. “Well I still love it.”

“I know. I just wish the collar wasn’t so damned tight.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Order a size up.”

“I will not!” 

“Fine, then suffer.”

###

Beverly knocked on Marie’s bedroom door softly. “Marie, it’s Beverly. Your mother sent me up to check on you. Do you need any help?” 

“Come in, Beverly.” Beverly pushed open the door and smiled at her friend. “Marie, you look beautiful.” Marie blushed. “Thank you. Can you help me with these buttons? I don’t know what my mother was thinking. How am I going to get this off tonight without help?” Beverly snorted. “I think that was the idea, Marie.”

Marie’s eyes went wide and then she giggled. “Of course. How silly of me. My husband will help!” Beverly joined her in giggling as she helped to hook the last of the buttons. “There we go.” Beverly smoothed down her own dress. “And can I tell you how happy I am that you did not ask me to wear red, or _worse_ , pink?” 

“Maman wanted the bridesmaids in red, but when I explained that Jean-Luc as best man would be in his red dress uniform and that it would clash with your hair, Maman agreed with me on green.” Beverly smiled. “Well, I love it.”

Marie clasped Beverly’s hands in hers. “Are you ok with not being escorted by Jean-Luc? I can do some re-arranging and get Louis to escort Colette instead of you.” 

“I know it’s tradition for the Maid of Honor to be escorted by the Best Man. It’s alright. Jean-Luc has promised to only dance one dance with Colette.”

“Good. And I rearranged the head table. You and Jean-Luc are sitting next to each other. I have arranged it so that Jean-Luc is next to Robert, with you next to him, and next to me is Colette followed by Louis.” 

“Thank you.” Marie checked herself once more in the mirror. “I think we should go down now. Maman is probably wanting to check me over before we leave for the chapel. Where is Colette?” 

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. Your mother asked me to come up and she wasn’t using the guest room to get changed with me. I’m sure she’s downstairs though.” 

“Hmm.” 

“Hey,” Beverly reached out and took Marie’s hand. “No fretting. It’s your wedding day!”

“I shall remind you of this when you marry Jean-Luc and are worried about every little detail.” They headed down the stairs, laughing. 

Colette, Marie’s mother, father, and the other bridesmaids were already downstairs and waiting. They were walking to the chapel. Jean-Luc, Robert, Louis, and a few other friends of theirs had spent the previous day clearing the paths of snow and ice and laying down large mats to absorb the moisture. They added tall heated torches to the path so the bridal party stayed nice and warm on the short walk. 

Beverly glanced over at Jean-Luc during the wedding and saw his eyes were on her. They smiled at each other and Beverly couldn’t help but wipe her eyes as she watched Marie and Robert exchange their vows. 

They were dancing close. People kept asking them when they were getting married, and their only response was “after Beverly graduates medical school”. This seemed to satisfy the myriad of distant relatives and family friends who already seemed to consider them engaged. Beverly rolled her eyes as a distant cousin walked away. “This is getting crazy. We should be celebrating Robert and Marie, not being questioned about our own relationship.”

“I agree, but I guess weddings just get on people’s minds when they are at one.” Beverly nodded. “Hmm. Are _we_ going to have a big wedding like this?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “Whatever you want. I just want to spend my life with you. We could get married on a space station with no one except the two of us and I’d be happy.”

“ _Maman_ on the other hand...would not.”

“There is that,” Jean-Luc kissed her. “But we have a while to think about our wedding. You still have to tell me _when_ you want to get engaged, too.” 

“After medical school. Maybe when I’m doing my residencies.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Beverly rested her head on his shoulder. “Hold me now?”

Robert and Marie said their goodbyes to the crowd and left on their honeymoon. They would be going to Paris for a week, and Jean-Luc had agreed to be available to help their father if he needed any assistance. Beverly and Jean-Luc wanted to slip away while the party was still in full swing. Maurice had left long ago to go to bed, but Yvette was still catching up with relatives and she nodded at Jean-Luc when he asked her if she would be alright. “Darling, we have half the Picard and Gessard relatives staying with us. I will walk back with someone, I am sure.” She eyed her son. “Are you sleeping in Beverly’s room tonight?” 

“Uhm....are you giving me permission?”

“Yes. It means I can put cousin Paul in there for tonight if that’s alright with you?” Jean-Luc nodded. “It’s fine.” Jean-Luc leaned over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Maman.”

“Goodnight Jean-Luc, goodnight Beverly.”

Beverly giggled on the walk back. “ _Permission_?” Jean-Luc swung their entwined hands. “Well...”

“Jean-Luc, your mother knows we spend most nights together.”

“I know. I just don’t like flaunting it.” She smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I want to take a bath when we get home.” 

“Mm, am I invited?” She nodded. “Good,” he brought her hands to his lips and kissed them. 

“I’m glad Papa installed the catflap for Baby so we can close and lock the door now.”

“Me too, Bev. Me too.”

###

Two days before Christmas, a package emblazoned with the Starfleet Medical logo arrived by special courier for Beverly. 

“I can’t open this. It’s going to be my results and it’s going to tell me if I’ve been guaranteed a place or not.” She pushed the package into Jean-Luc’s hand. “You look.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.” Jean-Luc nodded and opened the package. “It’s locked to your access only.” Beverly sighed and closed her eyes and recited her Starfleet ID number. “There. Is it unlocked now?”

“Yep.” Jean-Luc scanned the document and tried not to let any expression show on his face. Beverly eyed him suspiciously. “Well?”

“Hmm. Remember how you told me you were eighth in your class?” 

“Yeah?” Beverly shot him a blank look. “Well...you’re no longer in eighth place.” Beverly’s frowned. “Oh.”

“Nope. That’s because you’re now in fifth place! Oh, congratulations Sweetheart!” Beverly smacked Jean-Luc across the chest. “Don’t _do_ that to me!”

“Sorry. I thought it was funny,” He gave her a kiss. “Forgive me?”

“Hmm. Maybe. But fifth in the class? _Really_?” Jean-Luc passed her the PADD. “Take a look for yourself.” 

Beverly’s eyes went wide as she read the letter. “Jean-Luc, they expelled seven of the candidates for cheating and plagiarism. Wow. I mean, I don’t know if I feel sorry for them since they brought this on themselves. Why would you even _think_ about cheating?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “Well, I don’t feel sorry for them. Anyone you know on the list?” 

“It doesn’t show their names. I guess we’ll figure it out once we’re back and certain people are missing from class. I’m going to go call Sora at her parent’s and see how she did. You coming?”

“Nah, go and have girl talk. I’m going to go see if Papa needs me to do anything for him.”

“Wow, that’s nice of you.” Jean-Luc rubbed his neck. “Not really. Just trying to head him off at the pass.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I _offer_ to help and he says no, he can’t complain later that I didn’t help!” 

“Oh, I see. Well, have fun.”

Jean-Luc found his father in his office going over some paperwork. “Hello, Papa. I came to see if you needed any help with anything while Robert is away...”

Maurice sat back in his chair. “Well, that’s a change for once.” 

“I told Robert I would fill in for him.” Maurice nodded. “Have a seat, Jean-Luc. I’m only going through some accounting paperwork. I don’t suppose you learned bookkeeping at that Academy of yours?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, sorry.” 

“Nevermind. I really should leave this to your mother. Come, have a drink with me.” 

“Uhm...alright. Thanks.” Maurice walked over to a shelf and pulled down a bottle and two wine glasses. “Always keep wine in your office, Jean-Luc. You never know when you might need to offer someone a drink.”

“I’ll bear that in mind, Papa, but I’m not sure it will be much use on a starship.”

“Hmm. You give a bottle to your captain as soon as you meet him. It will endear him to you.” 

“You think so?” Maurice nodded. “Absolutely. I might not be part of your Starfleet, but I know how it works. The greasy palm gets oiled, or something like that.” Jean-Luc frowned. “You mean, I’ll get promoted based on favours to my captain and not based on my own merits?”

“Depends on your captain, I suppose. But, a bottle of Picard wine never goes amiss with anyone. Did you know we just received an order from the office of the President?” 

“No. Wow, that’s...well, that’s pretty amazing Papa. How many bottles did they order?”

“Not bottles, my boy. Cases. I need to start to pack them up after Christmas. Robert will be back, but we could always use a second pair of hands packing.” 

“I think I can do that. I bet Beverly might be interested in helping too.” Maurice grinned. “How is the _princesse_? Still not ready to wear your engagement ring?”

“No. She wants to wait until she is finished with med school...so I guess we’ll get engaged in four years? Unless she decides she doesn’t want to wait any longer....but I’m satisfied knowing that she wants to get engaged eventually.” 

“Good. Now, you two are going to attend the yuletide ball as our representatives, right?”

###

It was late when one of the librarians tapped Beverly on the shoulder. “Cadet? We need to lock up the library now.” 

“What time is it?” 

“2300.” Beverly cursed. She had been absorbed in her work and hadn’t noticed the time, nor noticed when her friends packed up and left. Jean-Luc wasn’t home as he and Walker had a training exercise, and Sora had skipped that night’s study session. She gathered her books and made her apologies to the librarian before heading across campus towards their flat. Their flat wasn’t on campus, but it was quicker to take the short cut through the campus. She fingered her communicator. Should she call someone? Jack might still be up, but did she _really_ need someone to come walk home with her? She shrugged. It wasn’t really _that_ far. 

She heard footsteps behind her and she glanced over her shoulder quikly, expecting to see a fellow student and she was going to make a joke about studying late. Her heart quickened when she saw the outline of the person. It was Marsden.

Beverly began to run. Her labcoat flared behind her and her bag thumped against her leg as she pumped her arms and ran, suddenly grateful for Jean-Luc suggesting she take up running when she expressed needing a way to keep fit. Sweat poured off her face and she risked a glance behind her. Marsden was still walking towards her. Beverly grabbed at her communicator. “Security,” she hissed into the device.

_“Security, how can we help you?”_

“I’m being followed,” Beverly whispered. _“Tracing your badge now, Cadet Howard. We have you near the observatory?”_

“Yes. I’m against...I’m behind a building.” 

_“Are you in a safe location? I’m dispatching security right now. Can you describe to me the person who is following you?”_

“It’s Marsden. Uhm....Billy Marsden.” 

_“I’m not finding him in our database. Is he an acquaintance?”_

“No. I mean, yes. Well, not really. He’s not allowed to contact me. He....” Beverly began to cry and the security person on the other end’s heart went out to the cadet. “ _Shh, take your time. Security is almost to your location. I’ve sent a female officer to walk you home.”_

“He assaulted me. Three years ago when we were freshman.” Beverly heard tapping against a keyboard before the dispatcher spoke again. _“I’ve found the relevant files. Don’t worry, Caadet Howard, you’ll be safe soon. I’m going to keep the comm open until Security arrives. Lieutenant Commander Caruthers is on her way.”_

“I know her. She helped me when...” Beverly sobbed again. _“Please try to calm down, Cadet Howard. Is there anyone I can call for you? Do you have roommates?”_

“My boyfriend is on a training exercise in the holosimulator this weekend....” 

_“What’s his name?”_

“Picard, Jean-Luc.” She heard more typing. _“I’ve sent a message to the instructors notifying them of an emergency. They should allow Cadet Picard to leave.”_

“Ok. Uhm...I see Security now.” 

_“Good. I’ll stay here until I’m told they are with you.”_ When Caruthers approached Beverly’s hiding place, Beverly allowed the older woman to draw her into her arms and Beverly sobbed against the woman’s chest. She heard Caruthers disconnect Beverly’s call with the dispatcher. “Shhh, Cadet Howard...may I call you Beverly?” Beverly nodded. “My men are arresting him right now. He’ll be in serious trouble for violating the terms of his expulsion and the restraining orders for you and your boyfriend. Where do you live? I’ll walk you home.” Beverly rattled off her address and Lieutenant Commander Caruthers picked up Beverly’s discarded bag and lab coat. “Let’s get you home.” 

“Uhm, congratulations on your promotion.” Caruthers smiled. “Thank you. I assume you are still dating the same young man?” Beverly nodded. “I mean, we weren’t really dating back then, but we are now.” 

“Good for you. And you’re still studying medicine?” 

“I’m fifth in the class, but I’m working hard to maintain my rank so I make it into the medical program. I won’t have to worry next year quite so much, but I’ve been studying late recently.” Caruthers nodded. “And if your boyfriend wasn’t at his training exercise, he would have met you to walk home.”

“Yeah. And I didn’t want to wake up our roommate.”

“You have a roommate?”

“Three, actually. Um..Walker Keel, Jack Crusher, and Sora Lanslig.” Caruthers nodded. “Crusher....he’s on the Security track, isn’t he?”

“I think so.” 

“Thought I recognized his name. Right then, here we are. We still need to file an official statement. Mind if I come up to ask you to do that?” Beverly shook her head and Caruthers followed her into the lift. When they got to her door, Beverly was shocked when Jean-Luc opened it and pulled her into his arms. “I’m here, Sweetheart.”

“But...how?”

“Dispatch said it was an emergency. The instructor told me I could leave, but I need to be back by ten tomorrow.” He kissed her forehead.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Beverly looked beyond him. “Wally? You came home too?” Walker shrugged. “Hey, when they said there was an emergency and it involved you, I insisted on coming along. Johnny, go sit with your girlfriend. I’ll get the drinks. Bev, what do you want?”

“Hot chocolate please.”

“You sure you don’t want anything stronger?” She grinned. “Yeah, I’m sure.” 

“Lieutenant Commander? Can I get you anything?”

“No thank you, Cadet. I just need to get your statement, Cadet Howard, and then I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Cadets Picard and Keel.” Beverly blushed. “Uhm, alright.”

After Caruthers left, Walker knelt in front of Beverly. “You sure you’re ok, Bev?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for coming home with Jean-Luc.” Walker grinned and leaned over to kiss Beverly’s cheek. “Hey, anything for you. Love you like a sister.”

She grinned back. “Love you like a bro.”

Jack and Sora were surprised in the morning to see the other two home, but Walker took them both aside to tell them what happened He didn’t mention Beverly being previously assaulted, only that she had been followed last night by Marsden, who they both knew had caused trouble in the past. 

Jean-Luc gently rubbed Beverly’s shoulders. “Do you want me to skip the exercise and stay with you today?” She shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine. I don’t want you to get a failing grade because of me.” He kissed her.

“Alright. But do me a favour and call Jack to walk you home if you’re out late tonight?” She nodded. “I will, but I might just study at home tonight. I almost called Jack last night, but I thought he might be sleeping and I didn’t want to wake him.” 

“I was, but Bev, if you don’t feel comfortable walking in the dark, I don’t care what time it is. If Johnny isn’t home, call me.”

“Ok. Thanks Jack.”


	14. Chapter 14

Beverly nervously waited in the antechamber until she was called in to see her advisor. 

“Beverly Howard?” She rose and smoothed down her cadet skirt before following the Yeoman into the inner office. She perched on the edge of the seat when she was told to and glanced nervously at the man behind the desk. 

“Congratulations on being the third highest medical student at the Academy.” Beverly blushed. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Naturally, this guarantees you a place at Starfleet Medical after next year...but that doesn’t mean you can sit back and ignore your last year at the Academy.” 

“No, Sir. I won’t, Sir.” 

“Good. Now, I see you’ve been working for a Doctor Keats each summer?” Beverly nodded. “She runs a small practice near where I live and offered me the chance to gain some experience. This will be my third summer working for her.” The doctor nodded. “I think, Cadet Howard, that we can use some of this experience to shave off some time from your required residency.”

“Wow, really? Doctor Keats only mentioned possible credit for the lab work I was doing.” 

“I think we can credit you with...six months. And the lab work you’ve been doing for her...well, I must say, you’re doing far more than any other candidate.” Beverly blushed again. “I just want to be the best doctor I can be, Sir.”

“I can see that. Doctor Keats has petitioned the Academy to give you additional credit based on your work for her and I agree. If you are willing to submit a report on your work this summer, I will see about getting you tested out of at least the first semester lab class. I think it would just be repeating what you’ve already been doing as it teaches the basics of analysis. In fact, you might be able to get placement credit for several classes, depending on what you’ve been doing with Doctor Keats.” 

“Thank you, Sir. This is incredible. I’m grateful for the opportunity.” 

“You’re welcome, Cadet Howard. You are dismissed.” 

Beverly rose and slowly made her way out of the office, with a large grin plastered on her face.

Across campus, Jean-Luc was sitting in on his own meeting with his advisor and it was not going as well. 

“Cadet Picard, I see you have finally chosen astrophysics as your concentration.” 

“Yes, Sir.”

“Not archaeology or stellar cartography? You seemed to be doing well in both those classes as well.” 

“No, Sir. I decided astrophysics would be better for my career. Not many calls for archaeology on a starship.” His advisor raised his eyebrows. “You’d be surprised, Cadet. Still, it would become a specialist position where you would be a consultant assigned to a ship instead of working on a ship and I understand you have ambitions?” Jean-Luc sat up straighter.

“Yes, sir. I’d like to be a captain one day.” 

“Hmm.” Jean-Luc wasn’t sure what to say in response to that, so he remained quiet and sipped the cup of tea he was handed by the secretary. “Becoming a captain isn’t easy, Cadet. I think many cadets enter the Academy thinking they will walk out with their own ship. You will have to work your way up from the bottom and many do not make it. It will be a lot of hard work, Cadet. You will have to show your commanding officer you have what it takes to earn your promotions and you will be expected to take officer exams. These exams are not easy, and will give you challenging scenarios to work your way through. Do you think you can handle it?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m prepared, Sir.”

“Good. Picard....Cadet, are you related to the Comte?” 

“Yes Sir, that’s my father. Actually, my brother and I hold the title, too.” An eyebrow raised. “And you chose a career in Starfleet over your title?” 

“Well, the title really doesn’t mean much anymore. It just goes with the property and our name.”

“The property being your family’s vineyard?” Jean-Luc nodded. “My father and brother run the vineyard.” 

“I see. Well, I quite enjoy your wine.” 

“Thank you, sir. I’ll let my father know.” 

“Dismissed.” Jean-Luc stood with the teacup still in his hand. His advisor chuckled and pointed at the wheeled cart in the corner. Jean-Luc nodded and rested his cup on the tray before exiting the room, letting out a deep sigh once the door had shut. 

###

Beverly became quiet and withdrawn as the second to last semester went on. She was still devoted to her studies, but she spent most of her free time cuddling Baby or simply staring into space. She turned down offers of going out with Jean-Luc either alone or with a group, and she turned down her friends when they asked if she wanted to do anything. Jean-Luc was at his wit’s end and he wasn’t sure what to do until he finally decided they were going to go home to their barn. 

“I don’t want to go home this weekend, Jean-Luc. I just want to stay here.” He frowned. “Sweetheart, you’ve stayed in every weekend since we returned to school. You haven’t gone out with me or your friends, you haven’t gone to practice dancing, you dropped out of the drama society...I know you don’t have that much work to do as you’ve been doing nothing _but_ work the past few months....please tell me what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” Jean-Luc eyed her. “You’re not. But fine, if you don’t want to go home, I’ll just tell Maman you don’t feel like seeing her.” Beverly frowned. “Wow, using your mother to guilt me? Come on, Jean-Luc.” 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Yes, you did.” Jean-Luc steadily gazed at her. “Alright, I did. If you won’t come home to spend time with me, maybe you should go home and spend time with Maman. Or Marie. _Something_ is wrong.” Beverly sighed.

“Fine. We’ll go home.” 

“Great. I’ll make the arrangements to leave after class gets out on Friday.” 

“Baby and I will be packed.”

###

_Personal log. Something is wrong with Beverly. She’s snapping at people – at me in particular – for no apparent reason. She said she isn’t ill, always just tells me she’s fine. I’m taking her home this weekend and we’re going to spend the whole weekend up in our loft and hopefully I will get her to tell me what’s wrong. We haven’t even made love in several weeks and frankly, sometimes I feel like I’m sharing my bed with a stranger. She’s next to me right now, writing in her log, but there’s a large chasm between us I can’t seem to scale....and I don’t even know what I did._

“What are you doing?”

“Writing a personal log.” 

“Oh,” Beverly sat her PADD down on her bedside table and reached out her hand for Jean-Luc’s and laced her fingers with his. “I love you.”

“Do you? Because you’ve barely managed to spend time with me lately.” Beverly looked down at their fingers. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” Jean-Luc leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Shuttle is booked for 1500. We should be home by 1700.”

“Ok. Goodnight, Jean-Luc.”

“Night Bev.”

_Personal log. Maybe if I distance myself from Jean-Luc, it will make our separation next year less painful. I don’t want to think about having to live here without him and I might even move , or maybe move into one of the other rooms after everyone leaves for their assignments. I love him so much...can I love him too much? He wants to go home to La Barre this weekend, and I guess we’ll talk. I just....I don’t know what to say. How do I tell the man I love I don’t want to say goodbye?_

###

“Am I allowed to stay in your room?” Jean-Luc put Baby’s carrier down on the bed and opened the door for the feline to get out. Baby knew she was home again, and immediately went towards her familiar bed in the corner to curl up and sleep. 

“Why wouldn’t you?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “You haven’t seemed to want me around lately. If you’d rather I sleep across the hallway so you can be alone....”

“No. Don’t go?” 

“I won’t.” He placed his bag on a chair and sat on the edge of the bed. He patted the empty space next to him and Beverly sat down gingerly. He wrapped his arm around her. “Sweetheart, will you talk to me?” 

“Let’s go out to our loft tonight and look at the stars?” He shook his head. “Let’s go out _now_ and later tonight.” He rose and reached for her hand. “Please?” Beverly nodded and took his hand.

Beverly sank into the thick duvet in the loft. “Mmm, I wish our bed at the flat was like this.”

“You’d never get out of it if it was.”

“Hmm, true. But it’s sooo comfortable.” She rolled over and rested her head on his chest. Jean-Luc smiled and wrapped an arm around her. 

“Ok. We’re here in our special space. Would you talk to me now?” 

“Can we just go straight to the make-up sex?” 

_“Beverly!”_ She sheepishly grinned. “I know. I just...this is hard. I tell you everything, but I’m struggling.” 

“Sweetheart, I’m going to ask you a question and I want your honest answer. Do you still want to be with me?”

“Yes! Oh god, yes, Jean-Luc. Please don’t think that I want to break up. I love you.”

“I love you too....but why have you been so distant?”

“Next year.” She spoke softly and Jean-Luc had to strain his ears to hear her. “What about next year, Sweetheart?”

“I don’t want to say goodbye. I thought that if I....I don’t know. I guess I thought if I distanced myself from you that somehow it would make our separation next year easier.” Jean-Luc frowned and tightened his grip on her. “And, is it?”

“No. It’s just making me miserable.” He grinned and kissed the top of her head. “Can’t say the past few months have been a picnic for me, either.” Beverly lifted her head and kissed Jean-Luc on the lips. “What are we going to do, Jean-Luc?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you realise with the exception of a few training exercises, we have seen each other every single day for nearly the past four years? _And_ we’ve shared a bed for most of those nights?” 

“Is this a problem?” Genuine concern registered on his face. “No. I mean, I like spending all my time with you and being with you, but next year...you’ll be on a ship and I’ll still be here in school.” She frowned. 

“I might not be on a ship. They might assign me to Command.” Beverly scoffed. “No, you’ll be on a ship. I know it.” Jean-Luc tenderly ran a finger down her cheek. “We’ll talk as often as we can. Every day if it’s possible. And...we’ll have my shore leave. I’ll make sure I request it to coincide with your breaks. Sweetheart, we _can_ make this work...will you let us?” She slowly nodded.

“I suppose there are a lot of Starfleet couples who don’t get to live together.” 

“Beverly, are you worried about our commitment to each other? Do you want to get engaged _now_? Would that...make you feel better?” He gently cupped her face and tilted her face so he could look at her eyes. 

“No. I don’t think so. I mean, I _do_ want to eventually, but I don’t want to plan a wedding while I’m still trying to pass med school. You understand, right?” Jean-Luc kissed her. “Of course I do.” 

“Good.” Beverly straddled him and pulled her shirt off over her head. “Now. How about that make-up sex?”

They were back in the loft after dinner that night. Beverly had carried Baby up into the loft with them and she was in a corner playing with some of her siblings, or Beverly supposed, her nieces and nephews. She settled against Jean-Luc’s chest and he tugged the strap of her camisole down to press a kiss to her shoulder. She smiled.

“Next year....I’ll look at the stars every night and think of you.” 

“Do we need to install a skylight in the bedroom?” Beverly laughed. “I think the neighbours might have something to say about that! No, I’ll look at them from the balcony.”

“If my quarters have a window, I’ll look out and think of you every night, too.”

She laced their fingers together and brought them to her lips while she looked at the stars. “I can indentify some of them now . Can you?”

“Considering my second is going to be in stellar cartography, I had better!”

“Hmm. Tell me the names?” Beverly was soon lulled to sleep listening to Jean-Luc whisper the names of the different stars and star systems to her.

###

“Bev! I did it!!” Sora ran into Beverly and Jean-Luc’s bedroom where Beverly had been studying and did a little dance. 

“You got in?”

“YES!” Sora shouted. Her shout woke up Baby, who flattened her ears and ran out of the bedroom to seek a hiding place. Beverly grinned at her friend. “You scared the cat.”

“Oops. I’ll make it up to her later. But Bev, I finally raised my grades and did it!” 

“I’m so happy for you!” 

“Me too. I can’t believe how hard Exobiology is....” she trailed off when she saw Beverly smile. “You _don’t_ think it’s hard?” 

“Well, not really. I mean, the non- humanoid species are a little hard to grasp, but the humanoids are all relatively the same.” Sora shook her head. “Alright, Doctor.” 

“Anyway, do you want to study with me?” 

“Sure,” Sora dashed back to her room to get her books and settled on the bed. “Uhm, is it ok if we study in here? Will Jean-Luc care?” Beverly shook her head. “Nah, he’s at wrestling with Jack, then meeting Walker to do...something. I didn’t really ask.” 

“Cool. Ok, so can you help me? I mean, I scraped an acceptance, but they told me I still need to show at least an 80 per cent in Exo B.” 

Beverly swivelled in her chair to look at Sora with a PADD on her lap. “Sure. Why don’t I quiz you and then we can work out ways to remember things about the different species. Should we go in alphabetical order or random?” 

“Ugh, random. Please don’t ask me about Andorian physiology first.” Beverly laughed and ran her finger down the page and stopped on an entry. “Ok, Klingons.”

“Uuuuuuugh,” Sora picked up a pillow and hit herself in the face. “Fine. Ok. Klingons. Oooh, they have double organs, don’t they?” 

“Mm-hmm, but which ones?” 

“Uhm...ok, I know it’s not two hearts, but their one heart has eight chambers?” Beverly nodded and Sora scrunched her eyes closed. “I know this. Two....livers. Multiple stomachs... do we _know_ how many?” 

“No, Just ‘multiple’, so I’d assume at least three, wouldn’t you?” Sora nodded .”Yeah, if they had two it would say two. Ok. And uh...extra ribs...”

“How many rib pairs?”

“Twenty-five?” 

“Close! Twenty-three.” Sora nodded.

“Oh oh! And two penisis! Penii? What exactly _is_ the plural of penis?” Beverly laughed. “I don’t know, and I’m not sure I really want to think about it. Are you _sure_ they have two?” 

“That’s what I hear.” Beverly raised an eyebrow. “Right, well ,the text doesn’t say anything about having more than one penis, but it does say they have three testicles. Guess they’re _really_ fertile. Hmm. I wonder if Klingon women have three ovaries? Did you notice the anatomy book only discusses male Klingons?” Sora frowned. “I hadn’t really thought about it. You’re right. That’s....strange.”

“I wonder if it’s a cultural thing? Like how centuries ago, female humans were considered the weaker sex? Maybe the Klingons keep their women at home and Starfleet assumes if we ever need to treat a Klingon, it would be a male warrior?” 

“I don’t know. Hey, I wonder if a Klingon could be born with two testicles and an ovary?” Beverly shrugged. “Human can, so I guess we can assume other species do. I mean, some species are both male and female, and I think some are neither. I guess we’ll study this at some point, but for now...the test is on _this_ textbook. Which only shows Klingon _Male_ biology, and doesn’t mention multiple sexual organs.” Sora smirked. “I see what you did there. Get out of pluralising penis by calling it a sexual organ.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Right. Can we stop talking about them now and get back to studying? What is poisonous to humans, but required in Klingons?”

“Aw, you’re no fun. Uhm...arsenic?” 

“Yep.” 

“Ok, next species. I’m done with Klingons.” 

###

Jean-Luc hovered over Walker in his lab. “Uhm...Johnny? Can you back up a bit?”

“Sorry. But is what I want to do for Bev _possible?”_ Walker nodded. “Possible, yes. But it’s going to take a little work. You want it to be tied into your comm badge?” 

“I want Beverly to be able to see exactly where I am and so we can be looking at the same stars.” Walker made a face. “Barf.” Jean-Luc held up his hands and grinned. “What can I say? I’m in love.” 

Walker just shook his head while he tinkered with the projector Jean-Luc had brought him. “OK, so I think I can program it to look for your badge assignment and then reflect that area....but what if you’re not within range?” Jean-Luc frowned.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Ok. Can we tie it to my _assignment_? Unless I’m not on my ship for some reason, it could reflect where the ship or base I was assigned to was? But then...what if I’m sent on an away mission?” Walker pondered his friend’s questions. In theory, it sounded like it _should_ be possible. He grinned. “Johnny, if I can pull this off, I just might become the top Engineering graduate!” 

Jean-Luc grinned back. “Brilliant! So....can you?” 

“Leave it with me. When did you want to give this to Bev?” 

“At graduation, I think.” Walker looked relieved. “Thank goodness. I thought you were going to tell me you wanted it for Christmas!” 

###

The Yuletide Ball felt bittersweet for the couple. Beverly would be attending the ball the following year without a partner, though Robert and Louis had both promised to dance with her, and even Maurice had said he would come to the ball just to dance with his _princesse_. She rested her head on Jean-Luc’s shoulder and tried to keep her tears at bay. Jean-Luc drew her out into the courtyard and sat down on a bench and pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her soundly and Beverly sniffed. 

“I shouldn’t be crying. It’s our anniversary tomorrow and this is a happy time...” 

“Shh, it’s alright, Sweetheart. I feel the same way. Do you want to go home?” She nodded. “Do you mind?” He shook his head, then glanced down at her feet. “Will you be alright walking home? The path might be a little slushy.” Beverly winked at him. “Isn’t that what my boyfriend’s strong arms are for? Carrying me over the puddles?” 

They retreated to Beverly’s bedroom. Jean-Luc hadn’t even stepped foot in his own room at all on this trip, and surprisingly, his father hadn’t complained. Jean-Luc helped Beverly out of her beautiful gown and grinned. “You’re getting quite the collection, love.” 

“No wonder Maman has such a large closet. You know, it really _would_ be easier if we had a replicator for dress clothes. Just....replicate, wear, and discard.” Jean-Luc grinned at her. “You tell that to Papa. I dare you.”

“Uh, no thanks.” Beverly slid this year’s gown onto a hanger. “I guess I’ll wear this again to the Cadet’s ball.” 

Jean-Luc carefully hung his dress uniform up next to her dress. “Want to join me in the tub?” 

“Mm, are we sleeping in the loft tonight?” 

“It _is_ tradition....” Beverly smiled. “Better get out the fluffy pyjamas for the walk over.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:life-threatening injury, violence

**2327**

It was graduation day. Jean-Luc’s parents, Robert, and Marie had all travelled to the Academy to see Jean-Luc and Beverly graduate and become Ensigns. Yvette reached up and adjusted Jean-Luc’s collar on his dress uniform. “It’s a little tight, isn’t it dear?”

“It’s fine, Maman.” Beverly laughed. “I’ve been telling him he needs a bigger collar for four years. He _won’t_ listen.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes .”That’s because it’s fine.” 

“Whatever.” 

Walker arrived carrying a crate in his arms. “It’s finished, Jean-Luc.”

“Oh, brilliant Walker. Thank you!” He took the package from Walker and carried it into the bedroom. “Beverly, I have a present for you.”

“You do?” Her eyes lit up. “What is it?”

“Come in here and see.” Beverly grinned at Yvette and went to join Jean-Luc in the bedroom. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply. “Mm, I like this present.”

“No, silly, it’s on the bed.” Beverly looked at the bed and grinned. “Oh look, you got Baby a present too. She’ll love the box.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes as Beverly opened the lid. She pulled out a device about the size of a small bedside lamp. “What is it?”

“Put it on the dresser and turn it on.” Beverly pressed the on button and gasped as her ceiling and walls were filled with stars. “This is...this is amazing.” She kissed Jean-Luc. “Thank you! I love it!”

“Ah, but you don’t even know what it does. Walker managed to pull off an A for this.”

“Oh?”

“This projector is linked to my location. So when I’m on my ship, you’ll be able to look at the same stars I am.” Tears filled her eyes and she wrapped her arms around him again. “I love this! I love you.” 

“I love you, too. I hope this can help you to feel less apart from me.” She smiled. “I think it will help. I only feel bad I don’t have anything for you. Oh wait...” Beverly picked up the bow from the box and perched it on her head. “There we go.”

“Mm, perfect. When can I unwrap it?”

“Tonight?”

“I’m counting on it.”

###

Jean-Luc and Beverly weren’t able to sit with each other during graduation since they were separated by specialty. He was sitting in the front row with the other astrophysics graduates, and Beverly was halfway back with the medical students. Of course, for her, this graduation ceremony didn’t mean much. She would hold the rank of Ensign, but also be a Medical Cadet for the next four years. She was excited for the opportunity, but still worried about saying goodbye to Jean-Luc in three weeks. 

She cheered loudly when his name was called and he flashed her a grin. When it was her turn to walk across the stage, he was waiting at the stairs on the other side and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so proud of you.” 

“I’m proud of you, too.” Jean-Luc pulled her towards his chair and sat her on his lap for the rest of the ceremony. 

“Congratulations, Class of ’27!” A cheer went up from the crowd. As it dispersed, the five friends all found each other and their families before heading out to dinner. The flatmates would have their own private party later that night after their families left, and Jack had even claimed to have found Romulan ale.

###

“Did you get your orders, Johnny?” Jack was drinking straight from the bottle. The liquid _was_ blue, but they were all pretty sure someone had just sold Jack dyed vodka. 

“I did. The _Hamilton_. You?” Jack sighed. “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you and Walker and the girls....uhm...they assigned me to Command.” Jean-Luc frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“Nah, I mean...I guess they need security. But can I still live here?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I don’t see why not, but you’ll have to clear it with Bev and Sora since they’re staying here. I don’t _think_ they lined up anyone to take your room next year.”

“Hey, Wally! Did you get your assignment?”

“Yep. I’m on the _Reliant_. Engineering, naturally.” Walker grinned. “You?”

“No, I’m assigned to Command. I was just asking Johnny if I could still live here.” Walker nodded. “Yeah, if the girls don’t mind. Johnny? What about you?”

“I told him the same. I’ll be on the _Hamilton_.” Beverly plopped herself in Jean-Luc’s lap and kissed him. “Your lips taste like rum,” she said and she kissed him again. He grinned. “So do yours.” 

She cuddled close and Jack decided it would be better to ask Beverly tomorrow about living arrangements. Beverly grabbed Walker’s hand as he walked by. “Wally Wally Wally!”

“Bev, Bev, Bev. You drunk?”

“Nope. Ok, maybe. But can you get me another?”

“Are you _sure?_ ”

“Yep!” Beverly shifted herself in Jean-Luc’s lap, who just watched the interaction with amusement. 

“Ok. Johnny?” 

“Sure, why not? Hey, have you seen Baby?” Walker looked around for the small cat. “I can see her through your open bedroom door.” 

“Thanks.” Beverly suddenly stood and grabbed Jean-Luc’s hands. “I wanna dance!”

“Ok. Jack, put on some music for Bev?” Music started and Beverly swayed with Jean-Luc. She kicked off her shoes and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. “I love you.” 

“Love you too. Why are you whispering?”

“I dunno.” He grinned and kissed her. Walker tapped Jean-Luc on the shoulder. “I got Bev water. Thought it was best.”

“She might not notice. Thanks.” Jean-Luc took the glass from Walker and held it out to Beverly. “Walker got you a drink.” Beverly beamed at Walker and leaned over and gave him a kiss. “Thank you Wally.” 

“Ever notice Beverly gets in a kissy mood when she’s drunk?” Jean-Luc grinned. “Yep. Handsy, too. So watch your butt.” 

###

Jean-Luc staggered out to the kitchen in the morning, barely coherent enough to tie his dressing gown shut and stood in front of the replicator. “Two extra strong, extra large, black coffees.” The machine whirled and soon two very large steaming mugs appeared. Jean-Luc usually preferred his coffee with milk, but this felt like a black coffee kind of morning. He carried the coffee into the bedroom and pushed the door shut with his foot. Beverly was face down and naked on top of the covers. “Bev? Sweetheart? I brought coffee.” 

“Mmph, go away.” He chuckled. “Nope.” He set the coffee on the bedside table and climbed onto bed next to her. “Hungover?” Beverly made another noise. “Want any food?” A head shake. “How about a shower?”

“Kay.” Beverly rolled over and Jean-Luc couldn’t help but lean over and kiss her breasts. “Nuh-uh.” 

“No?” Beverly shook her head. “Ok. I’ll get the shower running. Drink your coffee.” Jean-Luc drank about half his cup in one go before he rose and discarded his robe and strode over to their bathroom naked. 

“I like your butt!” 

Jean-Luc shook his head and set the temperature for the shower. “It’s ready, Bev!” A hand pinched him. “Bev...what are you doing?”

“Told you, I like your butt.” He rolled his eyes and got into the shower with Beverly following. Jean-Luc gently washed Beverly’s hair for her and gave her a little head massage. “Mm, I like that.”

“Hm, are you sobering up?” 

“I _am_ sober. Just...hungover. Didn’t I say the last time that I was never doing that again?” Jean-Luc pressed a light kiss to her lips. “You did, but did you _really_ want me to tell you to stop?”

“No, I guess not. Good thing I have a hypospray in the cabinet. I’ll be ok as soon as I use it. You?”

“I’m not hungover.” 

“How come?” Jean-Luc chuckled and finished rinsing off his body. “I didn’t drink as much as you.” 

“Right.” Beverly stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel under her armpits before she rooted in the cupboard for the hypospray. She pressed it to her neck. “Ahh, better now. Hi, good morning.” She turned and kissed Jean-Luc. 

“Good morning to you too. Are you packed for going home?” 

“Mmm. Yeah. Hey, can we take Baby to Earhart or do I need to leave her at home?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “We can ask.”

“I’m sure Maman wouldn’t mind her staying there. And I’m going straight home after I get back...I’m not coming back to the apartment until Sora returns from her visit to her parents. I don’t want to stay here alone.”

“Jack will be here. Oh, I suppose he didn’t get a chance to tell you. He got assigned to Command and wants to stay here.” Beverly made a face. “I’d rather wait for Sora.” Jean-Luc laughed as he walked out of the bathroom. 

“I’m taking my trunk with me since I’ll have to take it to Earhart. Is there anything you don’t want me to take?” 

“Uhm...everything?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “ _Beverly_...”

“I know. Sorry. Uhm. Leave me at least one pair of your pyjamas to sleep in? And can I have one of your bathrobes?”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.” Beverly got dressed as she contemplated Jean-Luc’s move. “You should take one of Maman’s blankets. It’ll make your quarters more homely.” 

“And I’m taking _this_ ,” Jean-Luc picked up a framed photo of the two of them from the previous year’s Yuletide Ball.” Beverly grinned. “Make me a copy first?” 

“Of course.”

###

Yvette found Beverly sitting in the conservatory, looking out the window, alone. She sat down next to her surrogate daughter. “Where is Jean-Luc?”

“Robert asked him if he wanted to go riding. I didn’t feel like going along....I thought Jean-Luc deserved to have some time with his brother alone since we...don’t know when he’ll be home again.” Yvette wrapped an arm around Beverly. “I know this must be hard for you, my dear.” A tear slipped down Beverly’s cheek.

“Maman, I don’t want to be a crying mess when I say goodbye to Jean-Luc, but I don’t know how _not_ to be. And if I don’t cry, will he think I don’t care?” Yvette shook her head. “ _Non, princesse._ My Jean-Luc knows how much you love him. Trust me. Yvette lifted Beverly’s hand and showed her the ring on her finger. “Would he wear a matching band to this one with a promise of a future if he didn’t?” 

Beverly drew her knees up to her chest. “Should we get engaged before he leaves?” 

“Do you want to?”

“I don’t know! I keep thinking that we’re too young, or that maybe we _should_ break up so we can see other people and if we’re meant to be we’ll find each other again but then....I don’t want to break up with him, either.” Yvette smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.” 

“Sorry. I forget you’re his mother and not mine sometimes.” Yvette smoothed back Beverly’s hair and pressed a kiss to her head. “I _am_ your mother. No matter what happens.” Beverly smiled slightly. “Thanks.” She paused. “I’m just worried. I love Jean-Luc so much, Maman.” 

“I know you do, my dear. “ Yvette smiled as the small cat named Baby walked in with her tail held high and jumped up on the window seat. She gave the cat a quick scratch. “Why don’t you take Baby and go up into your loft. I’ll send Jean-Luc out with a picnic basket of food for you two. Spend the rest of the day together, just the two of you and just...enjoy each other’s company.”

“Maman, what about you? I don’t want to take away your time with your son.” Yvette smiled. “It’s alright, Beverly. I will spoil Jean-Luc with his favourite foods tomorrow. Today, he’s all yours.”

“Thank you, Maman. I think I’m going to go change first.” 

###

When Jean-Luc climbed up the ladder with a very full picnic basket and a bag over his shoulder he found Beverly curled up on the bed with Baby, fast asleep. She had dried tear tracks running down her face and Jean-Luc’s heart broke. Should they stay together? He hadn’t really stopped to think about how hard it was going to be to be apart from Beverly after spending every day with her for the past four, almost five, years. Or how hard it was going to be on _her_. He sat down the basket and bag and toed off his shoes before laying down on the bed next to her. He kissed her cheek and her eyes fluttered open. “Jean-Luc,” 

“Shhh. Let me hold you.” Beverly sat up and pulled her dress off, making Jean-Luc grin. “Well, I really meant just so you could nap, but alright.” He removed his clothing too and she smiled. “I want to cuddle under the covers.” 

“We can do that. Excuse me, Baby,” Jean-Luc lifted the cat up and slid under the blanket, placing the cat back on the blanket at the foot of the bed. Beverly smiled. If he was this good with a cat, she could only imagine how good he would be with a baby...and then she shut those thoughts off because she _really_ didn’t want to have a baby until she was done with medical school. She toyed with his chest hair, tugging at it gently and he grinned. “Maman said you were upset earlier....want to talk about it?” 

“Not really. I’m still trying to deal with saying goodbye to you in a few weeks.” He kissed her temple. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t really think about it. Do you want me to decline the offer and get a job at command with Jack?” Beverly shook her head. “What do they need astrophysicists for at Command?” 

“They have departments. I could work on mapping ship’s routes and things.”

“That wouldn’t make you happy.” He threaded their fingers together. “It would make me happy if you’re happy.” 

“Fine, then. You wouldn’t have job satisfaction, and how badly would that make _me_ feel? Knowing I was holding you back?” 

“You wouldn’t be. It would be my decision.” 

“Yeah, based on not wanting to make me upset. I’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine. It’s just....going to take some time to get used to.” She leaned up and kissed him gently. “But we still have three weeks...two here, and one on Earhart with Walker, Corey, and Marta. We might as well make the most of it.” She slid a leg over his hips to straddle him. “And I know what I want to do.”

###

Beverly’s head was resting on Jean-Luc’s chest when she heard his stomach grumble and she giggled. “Hungry?”

“Apparently.”

“Didn’t you eat lunch?” He shook his head. “I got back from riding, and Maman said you were up here waiting for me and she made us a picnic, so I went up and showered and changed and came right over.” She grinned. “Guess we should see what Maman packed for us.” 

“Mm, oh, and I brought up our dressing gowns and pyjamas. “

“Forward thinking, I like it.” Jean-Luc got out of the bed and pulled their dressing gowns out of the bag. “Slippers, too.” 

“Ah, you spoil me.” Jean-Luc emptied the basket onto the small table in the corner. “Well, I don’t think Maman expects us in the house tonight. She even put a bowl and some food for Baby, plus a dish for water.” Beverly shook her head. “Baby will just go catch a mouse if she’s hungry. Or the other barn cats will eat the food instead. Unless that was just a hint from Maman.” 

“Probably. Do you want me to put it down for her?” Baby heard the rustle of her food and perked up. “If you don’t, she’ll be upset.” Beverly put on her dressing gown and sat on top of the covers. “Hope Maman packed flasks of tea. I’m thirsty.” 

“And a bottle of wine.” Beverly smiled. “Hmm. Maybe later.” She peered through the roof slats. “Sun is setting.” She rose and walked over to the small round window and Jean-Luc came behind her to wrap his arms around her. He dropped his head onto her shoulder. “Sunsets always remind me of your hair.” He pushed some of her hair to one side and kissed her under her ear.

“Oh?”

“Fiery. With shades of gold and red.” She smiled. They stood in silence and watched the sky change from the reds and oranges of the sunset to the pink and blue of dusk and finally, the inky darkness that surrounded the vineyard. Beverly turned around. “Dark in here.” Jean-Luc kissed her before walking over to the fairy lights that still stretched across the ceiling beam and activated them. “Better?” 

“Yeah. Shall we eat?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Maman sent flask of soup along with bread and cheese.” Jean-Luc opened the flask and sniffed. “Smells like onion soup. Want some?” 

“Please.” Jean-Luc poured the soup into a soup crock with handles on both sides and brought it over to her with a crusty baguette. He climbed on the bed next to her with his own soup and the two fell into a content silence. 

###

Two weeks at home passed by quickly for the couple – too quickly, if you asked Beverly. She sighed as she watched Jean-Luc pack up his footlocker again, this time adding a few items from home that he would take with him on the _Hamilton_. Beverly had Baby in her lap and she was stroking her while she talked to the feline.

“You be good for Yvette. I’ll be back in a week and then we’ll stay here a little bit before going back to the Academy....but without your Daddy. He has to go out into space.” 

“Beverly, I don’t think she’ll understand, do you?” Beverly shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m going to tell her anyway.” Jean-Luc sat on the bed and the cat crawled into his lap. “Baby, I want you to take good care of your maman while I’m gone. Extra cuddles and purrs for her, you got it?” Baby gave Jean-Luc a look as if to say “Do you even have to ask?” Beverly laughed. 

“ _Now_ who’s being silly?” Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around Beverly and held her close. “Hey, if I don’t laugh, I’ll...”

“Yeah,” Beverly swallowed the lump in her throat. “Me too.”

“What are you taking to Earhart?” 

“Just this small bag. I mean, I’ll be back here in a week so I won’t need much, will I? It’s not like I need any of my uniforms, do I? Just the one I’ll travel in.” Jean-Luc nodded. He didn’t plan on wearing his uniform while they were hanging out with their friends, either. It just didn’t make sense when he would be soon wearing one every day without fail. In fact, he had only packed a handful of casual clothing since he would only have one day off per week to start. “I guess, if you’re ready...we should change and head into town for the first leg.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” Beverly stroked Baby one more time before standing up and Jean-Luc pulled her into his arms. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.”

###

Walker was already on the base with their other friends Corey and Marta. They hadn’t seen Corey and Marta much in the recent years except in passing, but Walker had spent time with Corey as a fellow engineering student. They had already established themselves at a table in the lounge near the gaming tables. 

Beverly took it all in with wide eyes. She had been off Earth a few times on training exercises and had seen other species before, but there were some there that she hadn’t learned about yet, including the large, hulking Nausicaans who seemed to take great delight in playing Dom Jot with the humans – who they referred to as “puny humans”. Marta and Beverly really didn’t like the constant leering, so they left Walker, Corey, and Jean-Luc to play in the evenings while they stayed nearby watching. 

It was their second to last night, when Corey convinced Walker and Jean-Luc to enter the tournament with him. They were doing fairly well until they went up against the team of Nausicaans. Every time they went to sink one of their balls, the ball would “jump” and miss. Jean-Luc was sure the Nausicaans were cheating. After the tournament the three friends discussed it and they decided to rig the table for the next day, against the protests of Beverly and Marta, who both thought they should just leave it alone since it would be their last night together. Beverly, especially, didn’t _really_ want to spend her last night with Jean-Luc watching him play Dom Jot, but he promised her he only wanted to play the one game and then they would retreat back to their room to spend the rest of the night together. 

Marta rigged the security system so the three men could sneak into the lounge and Jean-Luc kept a lookout inside while Walker and Corey figured out how to rig the table against the cheating device the Nausicaans were obviously using. Satisfied, Marta turned back on the alarm, and they all retreated to their rooms.

Jean-Luc and Beverly cuddled in bed that night. Beverly was fighting her tears and Jean-Luc was fighting tears of his own. Their last day together was tomorrow. Other than meeting their friends in the evening for the tournament, they planned on spending the day alone. The base had a beautiful arboretum and botanical garden they were going to go on a walk through, and they were going to try out one of the new holosuites in the afternoon. 

Beverly glanced around their room and sighed. Jean-Luc had repacked and all that he had out was his uniform he would need the following day. Jean-Luc drew her into his arms and kissed her. “I know. I feel the same. Do you still want to do everything we planned today? We could stay here...in that bed....” Beverly smiled. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

“Do you still want to go out to dinner and meet up with the group?” She nodded. “You promised you’d be on their team.” He nodded and reached for the hem of her shirt and tugged it off. “What are you doing?”

“Well, if we’re staying in all day...you don’t _really_ need any clothing on, do you?” 

###

A crowd had gathered to watch the match between “team Starfleet”, as they started calling the trio, and the Nausicaans. Beverly and Marta had to fight for space to see, and they finally gave up and stood on a table so they could watch. Corey, Walker, and Jean-Luc were doing surprisingly well, which made Marta think the Nausicaans actually were pretty bad at the game if they had to rely on cheating devices. Beverly agreed and cheered when Corey sank the winning ball. 

One of the Nausicaans threw his Dom Jot cue on the table, where it broke in half. “You humans cheated!”

“Oh yeah?” Corey tossed down his own cue and stood toe-to-toe with the Nausicaan, barely reaching the alien’s chest. Corey poked the Nausicaan. “Takes one to know one.” 

“What did you say, human?” Marta exchanged a look with Beverly. “Uh-oh. Bev...Corey has a _really bad_ temper.” 

“Oh no. Jean-Luc and Walker are there. They’ll calm him down.” Beverly watched as Walker and Jean-Luc stood on either side of Corey and tried to tug him away from the angry Nausicaan, but Corey shook off his friends. “I said, you lousy lump, that it takes one to know one.” The Nausicaan responded by punching Corey. He went flying over the Dom Jot table and landed on the floor. Marta and Beverly rushed to him, but Beverly kept one eye on Walker and Jean-Luc as the Nausicaan’s started fighting with them. Walker took a kick to his stomach and landed on the floor and Beverly crawled over to him. “You alright, Wally?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Bev.” They both turned their eyes to Jean-Luc, who was actually holding his own against the Nausicaan and had just shoved the Nausicaan into another table when suddenly, the Nausicaan that had hit Walker rose with a knife in his hand. Beverly gasped. “Jean-Luc!” 

Jean-Luc looked over at her and in the split second before she was able to shout “He has a knife!” Jean-Luc was stabbed from behind. Beverly screamed and ran over to her boyfriend. “Jean-Luc...Jean-Luc...stay with me. Stay with me. MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC!” She looked down at her blood covered hands and shirt. “Oh God, he’s losing so much blood. Walker! GET ME A MED KIT!” 

The barman tossed their standard medkit to Walker and he brought it over to Beverly. It had a low-powered tricorder in it that Beverly used to scan him. “Oh God. Walker. They stabbed his heart. He...” She tried to control her sobbing so she could speak. “His heartbeat is slowing. Where’s the medic?! WHERE IS SECURITY?!” 

Walker rested his hand on Beverly’s shoulder. “They’re on their way. What can we do for Jean-Luc right now.” 

“If we can...staunch the blood somehow...slow it down...he might....oh god Walker, I can’t even think.” Walker pressed a kiss to Beverly’s forehead. “Shh. Yes you can, Bev. You’re going to be a doctor. You’ve taken a few of the classes already. Tell me what to do.” 

“We need strips of cloth to tie around the wound and to try to stabilise the knife.”

“Should we remove it?”

“No. Not until he can get to the Infirmary. We could do more damage, but....can you get me a phaser?”

“A phaser? Bev? You’re not going to shoot Johnny, are you?” Walker looked at his friend incredulously.

“No. But if we can cut off the handle at the back, then at least We can lay him down a bit better.” Walker nodded and stood. “Be right back.”

A minute later, Walker had a member of security with him. “He wouldn’t give me his phaser, but he said he could help.” Beverly nodded and explained what she wanted to do and the security officer carefully sliced off the handle of the blade at the back so Beverly could lay Jean-Luc down on his back. She kept his head in her lap and she ran her hands over his forehead. “You’ll be alright, Jean-Luc. I promise. I love you.” 

Jean-Luc could only blink back at the love of his life as he slipped into darkness.


	16. Chapter 16

Beverly was covered in blood. The medics had arrived and rushed Jean-Luc to the base hospital, with Beverly, Walker, Corey, and Marta in tow. Corey was treated for his black eye and then sent to wait in the waiting room, and Walker was treated fairly quickly for a bruised kidney. But Jean-Luc was still being treated and they had heard nothing from the hospital staff. Beverly sat on the chair, not caring she was getting strange looks for being covered in blood and just held her head in her hands. She finally rose and began pacing the small waiting room. 

“Bev, maybe you should clean up?” 

“No,” she whispered. “I can’t leave. What if....” she trailed off, tears pooling in her eyes again. Walker rose and pulled Beverly against him, heedless of the blood that was being transferred to the clean clothes he had replicated at the hospital. “Shh. Don’t think about that. He’ll be fine. Look, Corey and I are both fine.”

She sniffed. “You and Corey didn’t get stabbed in the heart!” Walker continued to hold her and shot helpless looks at Corey and Marta, neither of whom knew what to do as they weren’t as close to Beverly as Walker was. A woman dressed in hospital scrubs entered the waiting room. “Mrs Picard?” 

The four friends stayed silent, not sure what to say. With a jolt, Beverly realised that she probably needed to call her. Walker finally spoke up. “Jean-Luc’s mother hasn’t been informed yet.” 

“No, I’m looking for his wife? Is she with you?” 

“Uhm...wife?” Walker gave the doctor a blank stare. 

“He’s wearing a wedding ring, isn’t he?” Beverly’s cries got worse. If only she _had_ agreed to marry him before they left. Walker patted Beverly’s back and whispered in her ear. “Just tell them you’re married. It’ll get you the information you need, and get you in to see him.” He kissed her cheek and raised his voice slightly. ”Sorry. Beverly doesn’t use Picard, so it confused me. This is Beverly Howard. She’s Jean-Luc’s....wife.” 

“Ms Howard.” 

“It’s alright, you can call me Picard.” The doctor smiled softly. She understood what the young woman must be going through. “Of course, Mrs. Picard. If you’d like to come with me, we’d like to discuss your husband’s care.” 

“Can I bring Walker with me? He’s kind of...well, he’s basically my brother.” The doctor nodded. “Of course. I understand how you might need some support right now.” Corey and Marta stood up too and the doctor glanced at them. “I’m sorry, but I can only speak with family right now. If you wish to wait, Mrs Picard will be able to give you details later.” Beverly looked over at her friends. 

“Why don’t you go back to your room? After all, it’s your last night together too. Don’t let...I mean, Jean-Luc wouldn’t want....”

“I think what Beverly means is, we’ll call you as soon as we know what’s going on.” Corey nodded and wrapped an arm around Marta before leading her out of the hospital. 

The doctor gave Beverly a once over. “Perhaps you’d like to clean up first? It’s not that I mind the blood, but you’ll feel better, I guarantee it. You can use the staff locker room and use the clothes refresher or replicate new clothing.” 

“Uhm....” The doctor smiled at her. “Ensign Picard is in stasis for now until we speak. He’s unconscious, and you taking ten minutes to take care of yourself _isn’t_ going to affect his care.” Beverly nodded.

“Alright. Can Wally....can Wally come with me?” 

“Sure. It’s a co-ed locker room. He can talk to you through the curtain while you shower. Come with me. I’ll even give you a bar of shampoo to use that’s a lot nicer than what’s in the dispenser.” Beverly managed a small smile.

Beverly stood behind the shower curtain and removed her clothing, tossing them out the side of the shower stall where they made a loud splat against the floor. “Bev, do you want me to put these in the refresher for you or replicate new clothing?” 

“Jean-Luc loves that dress.” 

“Refresher it is. Toss over your underwear and I’ll get that taken care of too. I already have your sandals.” A small pair of knickers and a matching bra joined the dress and cardigan on the floor. “Thanks, Wally.” 

“Anything for you, Bev.” He added her clothing to the refresher and set it to a quick cycle before replicating clean clothes for himself once more. He listened as the shower started and then he heard Beverly sobbing. “Bev? Sweetheart? Talk to me.” 

“I’m fine!” Walker rolled his eyes. “You’re not. Don’t make me come in there.” 

“You wouldn’t!” 

“I would if my best friend needed me.” Behind the curtain, Beverly smiled slightly and then her eyes went wide when she heard the sound of a zipper. “Wally! You’re _not_ seriously getting in this shower with me, are you?” Walker chuckled.

“No, I replicated clean clothes for myself again. But Bev...talk to me.” 

“Wally...what if Jean-Luc...what if he doesn’t make it? What if we don’t get to have our wedding and have babies and captain a ship and....” 

“He’ll be fine. Come on, Jean-Luc is strong, you know that.” She sniffed. “I know, but...” 

“I know. I know.” Beverly fell silent as she finished washing her hair and washed the blood off her body. She watched the swirl of bloodied water go down the drain with another sob. All that blood belonged to her beloved. And she was stupid and hadn’t wanted to get engaged or married before she finished medical school. She let out another sob and Walker’s heart broke for his best friend. She turned off the shower and Walker passed her a towel through the side.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I replicated a brush for you. Want me to brush your hair for you?” She nodded. “Let me stand under a sonic dryer first to dry it.” 

Walker carefully brushed Beverly’s hair for her while her clothing was in the refresher cycle. When the refresher dinged, he retrieved her clothes and grinned. “I’ll just turn my back while you change.”

“Mm. Thanks. Where are my shoes?” 

“Sorry, Bev. I couldn’t clean them.” She shrugged. “Replicate me a pair of white sandals please? Size seven. I think these were style ten, but I don’t really care.” 

Beverly held Walker’s hand as they walked into the doctor’s office. “Feel a bit better, Mrs Picard?” Beverly blushed. At some point, she was going to have to admit to not being Jean-Luc’s wife. “Yes, thank you. Please, call me Beverly.” 

“Of course, Beverly. Now, I understand you helped to stabilise Ensign Picard before the medics arrived?” She nodded. “I’m in medical school. Jean-Luc and I...he’s supposed to leave on his assignment with the _Hamilton_ tomorrow. Tonight was our last night together.” 

“I see. And you...Walker, was it?”

“Ensign Walker Keel. Junior engineer for the _Reliant_. I don’t ship out for another week.” 

“Good.” 

“Good?”

“You’ll be able to stay with Beverly for a while. Beverly....Jean-Luc’s heart is failing.” Tears sprang to Beverly’s eyes. “But you can fix it, right?” The doctor shook her head. “I’m sorry.” Beverly’s tears turned to sobs and she buried her head against Walker’s chest. Walker wrapped an arm around her and looked at the doctor.

“Doctor....”

“Trunchard.” Walker nodded. “Doctor Trunchard....are you telling us that Johnny....that Jean-Luc is going to die?” 

“Oh no! Please, Beverly. Ensign Keel. That’s not what I meant at all.” Beverly looked up from Walker’s chest. “A cloned heart?” 

“No, we don’t have enough time to wait for one to grow. We’re going to have to give him an artificial heart, unless you see a reason why he might not want one.” Beverly looked at Walker. “Wally? You’re his best friend.”

“Yeah, and you’re his...Beverly, you know him better than me.” Beverly frowned. “Maybe we should call Maman and Papa....” 

“Your parents?” She shook her head. “No, Jean-Luc’s.” 

“Where do they live? Earth?” She nodded. “France.” The doctor consulted her screen. “It’s two in the morning in France. You may call them if you wish, but I strongly advise on a decision sooner rather than later.” Beverly frowned.

“They don’t have a console in their bedroom. Papa will be up at four....I’ll call then. Uhm...I think Jean-Luc would want to live. Don’t you, Wal?” Walker nodded. “I have to agree with Beverly. “

“We will bring him into surgery at once. Beverly...would you like use of one of our family suites? It will keep you close to your husband while he’s recovering...it might be a few weeks before we can release him.” Beverly nodded. “Can Walker stay too?”

“Anyone you wish to can. The suite has three bedrooms and the sofas in the living room can turn into a bed. I will have someone show you to the suite and give you the access codes. I will call you there once your husband is out of surgery.” 

“Thank you.” Beverly turned to Walker. “Wally, can you get our stuff from our rooms?”

“Sure. Should I bring Jean-Luc’s too?” 

“I guess so. I mean, they’ll want the room back at the base, won’t they?” He nodded. “Probably. It might take two trips with everything.”

“Oh, I just have a small bag. It should fit in Jean-Luc’s footlocker...we’re all packed up except for his uniform he was going to wear tomorrow,” a tear slipped from Beverly’s cheek. “I suppose I need to contact his ship?” 

“It’s not necessary. We have already informed his commanding officer of the accident.”

“Uhm, ok. Thank you.” 

“If they have any messages for Ensign Picard, they will be routed to you for now.” Beverly nodded. “Security also want to interview you and your friends. I can send them to your suite?” 

“Sure. Wally, bring back Corey and Marta. There’s plenty of rooms and we all might as well be together tonight.” 

“You got it, Bev.”

###

Beverly sat in front of the console in the family suite and pressed in the access number for the vineyard. She knew it would ring in both the house and the office, so she was pretty sure she would get Maurice or Robert. She wasn’t planning on the call being answered by Yvette. Tears filled Beverly’s eyes as she gazed at her surrogate mother. 

_“Beverly, my love. Have you seen our dear boy off?”_ Beverly began to cry. “ _Shh, Sweetheart_. huuut, ça va aller. Ça va s’arranger. Tout va bien. _You’ll be alright. I’m looking forward to our time together._ ” 

“Jean-Luc....He....stabbed....” Beverly broke down in sobs and Walker came over to the console and knelt next to Beverly. “Yvette...Jean-Luc’s been in an accident.” Yvette’s face drained of colour. _“Is he...is he alright?”_

“He’s in surgery right now having an artificial heart transplanted.” Beverly’s sobbing became louder and Walker wrapped an arm around her. 

_“How long will it take me to get to you?”_ Walker did the mental calculations. “Not long. Shuttle to Paris, then you should be able to catch a transport here. It takes about a day to get to Earhart.”

_“I’m on my way.”_

“Do you want me to make the travel arrangements for you and Maurice?” Yvette hedged _. “I do not know. You know Maurice...perhaps...Beverly, dear, do you want me to bring Marie?”_ Beverly nodded _. “Alright. Walker, please make the arrangements for Marie and myself and uhm, one animal.”_ Walker grinned. Baby would comfort Beverly for sure. He hoped the hospital wouldn’t mind the cat, but decided he really didn’t care. “I’ll make them for you right now and send the details through. We should see you tomorrow. I’ll meet you at the dock. The hospital has given us a family suite.”

_“Good. Beverly, I love you very much.”_

“I love you too, Maman.” Walker ended the call for Beverly and got her onto the sofa. “Let me get you a cup of tea. I know you, you won’t go to sleep until you see Johnny.” Beverly smiled. “Better make it a coffee, then.” 

“Coming up. Black?” She nodded. 

Marta and Corey arrived with their lockers in tow and shortly after, they were visited by base security who asked them what had happened. As notes were taken, Beverly asked what would happen to the Nausicaans.

“They’re in the brig right now. We can charge them with attempted murder and assault. From what you and the witnesses we spoke to have said, any blows delivered by Ensigns Picard, Keel, or Zweller were all in self-defence. It will go to trial and they will likely be banned from entering Federation space or sent to a penal colony. We take harassment of a Starfleet officer, even one not yet on duty, seriously.” Beverly nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for your time.” 

###

Beverly was slumped on the sofa when the comm finally went off. “ _Doctor Trunchard to Ensigns Howard and Keel.”_

“We’re here.” Beverly reached for Walker’s hand and gripped it tightly. _“You’ll be pleased to know Ensign Picard came through surgery with no other complications.”_ Beverly felt as though the strings keeping her upright were cut and she fell back against the sofa. “Can we see him?”

 _“Yes. I’ll permit you access. He’s still unconscious though._ ”

“That’s alright. As long as I can....I can touch him.”

_“That you can do. He’s in Ward six, bed two. Do you want me to send someone to escort you?”_

“I think we can find it.”

_“Great. I’ll meet you there to answer any questions you have. Trunchard out.”_

###

Beverly immediately reached for Jean-Luc’s hand when she saw him. They had cleaned off most of the blood, and he was laying on a biobed, shirtless, with a long, scary line down the center of his chest. Beverly was comforted by the rise and fall of his chest and surprised he wasn’t attached to much machinery beyond a heart monitor. She glanced at it and smiled. Steady.

“Oh, Jean-Luc....” She began, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I love you. Maman and Marie are on their way...we all love you and want you to wake up soon.....” Walker found a chair and pushed it towards Beverly so she could sit and hold his hand. 

Trunchard entered the room and smiled before turning to Walker. “How long have they been together?” 

“Well, most of us assumed they started dating when they met when we took our entrance exams, but they claim they didn’t start dating until winter break of Freshman year. They never had eyes for anyone else.” Trunchard smiled again before touching Beverly’s shoulder. 

“Beverly, do you have any questions? Either pertaining to Ensign Picard or even if you have any questions pertaining to the procedure?” Beverly’s eyes lit up at the chance to learn a bit about the procedure, but Jean-Luc was more important. She would ask her medical questions later.

“Do you know when he’ll wake up?” Trunchard shook her head. “It varies. We prefer not to force the patient to wake up, allowing their body the time it needs to heal. It can be anywhere from twelve hours post-op to several days or even weeks.” Beverly frowned. “Oh.” 

“Beverly called his parents. His mother and sister-in-law are on their way.” Trunchard nodded. “Not his father?” Walker shook his head. “No, he’s not really a traveller. Well, neither is Yvette, but Maurice would have just complained about the trip and someone has to stay at the vineyard.”

“Ah, he’s _that_ Picard.” 

“Yes.” Beverly suddenly burst into laughter. “Bev, what’s funny?”

“Maman and Marie are coming here...who’s going to cook for Papa and Robert? Have you eaten Robert’s cooking?” 

“Can’t say I have. But you know Yvette. She probably has plenty of food socked away in the freezer.” Beverly grinned. “Probably.” Trunchard glanced between the two. “Couldn’t they replicate food?” Beverly shook her head. “No. Papa never allowed a replicator. In fact, that’s how Jean-Luc and I met...our rooms were across the hall from each other and I heard him cursing when he was trying to use his replicator for the first time.” Beverly gazed down at Jean-Luc’s face. “He looks peaceful.”

“He’s currently on a lot of pain medication. We’ll slowly wean him off of it, but for now, it helps him sleep.” 

“What about anti-rejection medication? I don’t know much about artificial organs, only cloned ones.” Trunchard nodded and picked up a PADD to check it before speaking.

“Centuries ago, before there were artificial hearts that could be implanted or cloning options, people used to need a donor – usually someone who had passed away who had opted to donate their organs to those in need – and those people would then be put on anti-rejection medication their whole life. When we started cloning organs made from people’s own DNA, we no longer needed anti-rejection medicine as it was technically still part of the person. 

“Jean-Luc’s situation is in between. His body won’t have to accept a foreign biological organ, but a mechanical one. He will be on anti rejection medication whilst under my care for up to six months and then as long as his health is properly maintained and he has a good doctor looking after his heart, he should be fine and live as long a life as any ‘normal’ person...perhaps even longer due to the artificial nature of the heart.”

Walker grinned. “He’ll have the best doc in Bev. No offense, Doctor Trunchard.” Trunchard smiled. “None taken. And that was a good question, Beverly. Does that help you?” 

“Yes, thank you. Will you be able to remove the scar on his chest?”

“Absolutely. Give it a few days and we’ll run the dermol regen over it.” Beverly nodded. “I don’t think this is something Jean-Luc would want his crew knowing about if he eventually ever gets a command....oh, will this affect his career?” 

“Shouldn’t. At least, in terms of his physical performance if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“Johnny and I were on the track team, and he was also on the wrestling team.” Trunchard nodded at Walker. “Well, I don’t think there’s much cause for wrestling on a starship, but we’ll work with him on his stamina before we release him. With a healthy and young body like his, he’ll be running again in no time. He _might_ have to spend a little extra time exercising compared to most people to stay fit enough for Starfleet, but his heart won’t prevent him from doing anything he previously did before.” 

“How long will he be in recovery? Will you be able to release him to full duty?” Trunchard pursed her lips. “Six months to a year.” Beverly gasped. “Sorry, I know that sounds like a long time. We don’t want to release Ensign Picard until we’re absolutely sure he is fine.”

“That makes sense to me. It just...seems like a long time.” 

“You are most welcome to use the family suite for as long as you wish to stay. Eventually, we might be able to allow Ensign Picard to spend nights with his family in the suite.” Beverly blushed for a moment and Trunchard caught on. “We’ll discuss that privately, Beverly, but yes, eventually he will be able to resume sexual activity.” 

“Doc, what should I do? I have a week before reporting for duty, but I don’t want to leave Bev on her own and I don’t know how long Yvette and Marie are able to stay.” Trunchard smiled at Walker. 

“You could apply for leave based on family need - I know technically you aren’t related, but Starfleet does understand the value of non-birth family. You would need to speak with your CO about it.” Walker nodded. “Bev, want me to?” 

“Maybe for a little while? I don’t think Jean-Luc would want you to put off your career just because his is.....what about his career?” 

“I can’t speak for his CO. Officially, Ensign Picard has been placed on extended medical leave. We don’t give an end date, we just evaluate every three months. Once we feel we can release Ensign Picard to duties, he would either return to his previous assignment or be assigned elsewhere.”

“His assignment hasn’t started yet.” 

“Ah, well. You’ll have to speak with his CO. It’s possible he would keep the position open for Ensign Picard, but he also might need to fill it immediately.” Beverly nodded and Walker grinned at her. “Add it to the list.” 

“Yeah. Uhm...about me. I’m supposed to start my medical training in six weeks, but I don’t want to leave Jean-Luc. What can I do?” 

“Speak with the Academy, but you should be granted a leave of absence.” 

. “Good thing you received all that credit for summer internships.” 

“You did an internship already?” Beverly nodded. “Kind of. Every summer I worked for Doctor Keats in La Barre. The first year it was mostly office work, but then I started running labs for her and the Academy said they would give me credit for the work I did.”

“Well, perhaps we can keep you caught up.” Trunchard smiled. “Now, Ensign Keel, if you don’t mind there are a few things I’d like to talk to Beverly about alone.” 

“Sure,” Walker squeezed Beverly’s shoulder. “I’ll wait for you out there.” He reached down and patted Jean-Luc’s shoulder. “Stay strong, Johnny.” 

Beverly watched him leave and then turned her attention to Doctor Trunchard. 

“You’re not actually married, are you?” Beverly looked down at Jean-Luc’s hand clasped in hers. “It depends. We were handfasted three years ago. Some cultures view that as marriage. Others, only betrothed.”

“And you?”

“We’ve always treated it as being committed to each other with a plan to eventually become legally bonded.” Trunchard nodded. “It doesn’t matter to me. From what you and Ensign Keel have said, you’ve been together for many years so you would count as his partner. I just wanted to know the truth as when I checked Ensign Picard’s records it didn’t mention a spouse, but it does list you as his next of kin.” 

“Sorry. We didn’t mean to lie.” 

“It’s fine. Why don’t you go back to the suite and try to get some sleep. You can come back in the morning. Do you have a communicator?” Beverly nodded. “It’s in my bag.” 

“We’ll contact you on it or on the comms in the suite if anything changes while you’re away.” 

“Ok. Thank you.” Beverly leaned over Jean-Luc and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “I need to let you get some rest now,” she snorted at the absurdity of letting a man who was sleeping rest. “I’ll be back in the morning. I love you.” 

Trunchard watched Beverly walk out to Walker and saw Walker place an arm around Beverly as they walked and she couldn’t help but think that Jean-Luc had a fantastic support network already.


	17. Chapter 17

Beverly tossed and turned in her bed. She hadn’t spent the night truly alone in years – if Jean-Luc wasn’t sharing a bed with her, then she at least always had Baby curled up with her. She got up and wrapped Jean-Luc’s dressing gown around her and inhaled his scent before padding out to the living room to see if any of her friends were still awake. The room was dark and empty. Beverly headed for Walker’s bedroom and paused with her hand on the doorknob. _I can do this on my own. I know I can._ She returned to her room and opened Jean-Luc’s footlocker, grabbing the blanket from their bed he had packed and one of Jean-Luc’s pyjama shirts. She swapped her nightgown for his shirt and rolled herself in the blanket. Sleep finally found her, wrapped in his comforting scent.

Morning came all too soon and Beverly sleepily walked out into the living room, still wearing Jean-Luc’s shirt and dressing gown. Marta and Corey were both in uniform, having cups of coffee. Their footlockers were already waiting by the door. 

“Beverly, I’m so sorry we have to go. Will you....keep us updated on Johnny?” Beverly nodded silently at Marta while Walker passed her a cup of coffee. Corey leaned over and gave Beverly a kiss on her cheek. “He’s a fighter.” They each grabbed the handle on their lockers and were soon out the door. Beverly let out a sigh. 

“Yeah, I know.” Walker reached across the counter and gave her hand a squeeze. “Can I get you something to eat while I’m over here?”

“Just....some toast?” Walker levelled a glare at her. “ _Beverly..._ ” 

“Alright. And some eggs.” 

“Better.” He turned back to the replicator and replicated meals for the two of them. Beverly dug into her eggs, surprised at how hungry she actually was. Walker grinned. “Yeah, I thought so.”

“Shut up.”

“Yvette and Marie will be here around one. I’ll move my things out of the bedroom and sleep out in the living room to give each of them a room.” 

“No, it’s alright. I can sleep out on the sofa.” Walker shook his head. “No, Bev. You stay in the bedroom. You need to try to get a good night’s sleep.” She sighed. “We’ll see. It was hard. I mean, it would have been our last night together and somehow I pictured it more....”

“Naked?” Walker grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. Beverly threw her toast at him. “Romantic.”

“Yeah. Not much romance in a hospital room.” 

“No.” Beverly finished up her plate of eggs and rose. “I’m going to shower. I want to get back to the hospital and check on Jean-Luc. Are you coming with me?”

“Sure. I need to speak with my CO later though. I don’t want to leave you, so I’ll see what my options are. Do you want me to meet Yvette and Marie off their shuttle for you?” 

“Please.” 

Beverly unpacked her small bag into the dresser, figuring she might be there for a while and wishing she had thought to ask Yvette to bring her a few more things. There was a replicator though, so she could always replicate things to wear, however nondescript they would be. The shower felt good, despite Beverly’s shower in the staff locker room the night before and she spent several minutes with the heated water beating down on her neck and shoulders. She wrapped herself once more in Jean-Luc’s dressing gown and frowned at her wardrobe. She had packed nearly all summery dresses for their week’s vacation on the warm base, but she wasn’t sure any of them were appropriate for a hospital setting. She _could_ wear her uniform, but that really didn’t appeal to her, either. Besides, she would need it soon enough, especially since she would need to contact her advisor to ask about deferring the semester. Her eyes fell on a dark green sundress. It would have to do. She could replicate a black cardigan to go with it. 

###

“How is he?” Beverly approached the nurse who was checking on Jean-Luc. “He’s doing as well as is expected, dear. Just need to give your husband a little time to wake up. Maybe hearing your sweet voice will help him.” Beverly blushed. Obviously, Doctor Trunchard hadn’t corrected the oversight from the day before and was letting the staff think she was his wife.

She reached for Jean-Luc’s hand and grasped it after kissing his forehead. “Good morning, Jean-Luc. I hope you slept well last night....I didn’t. I didn’t even have Baby to cuddle so it was hard dropping off until I put on your pyjamas. I know, that’s silly.” The nurse smiled. “Oh, I didn’t know you two had a child.” Beverly gave the nurse a blank look.

“What?”

“You said ‘baby’...” Beverly’s eyes widened in surprise and then she laughed. “No. Not _a_ baby. Baby. My cat’s name is Baby. She was a Christmas present from Jean-Luc three years ago and she’s been my constant companion since.” 

“Oh, I see. Sorry.” The nurse adjusted Jean-Luc’s pillow. “Doctor Trunchard will be in to check on him soon. If you need anything, just press the button over there.” 

“Thanks.” Beverly giggled after the nurse went away. “I can’t believe she thought I meant we had a baby. Can you imagine?” She frowned and rubbed at Jean-Luc’ promise ring, grateful that the nurse had put it back on his finger after his surgery. “Well, actually, I _can_ imagine. I was just thinking when we were at home up in the loft and you were talking to Baby that if you treated our cat that well you would make an excellent father.

“Of course, I think we’re too young to have a baby, don’t you? Maybe in a few years...” She trailed off, not sure what else to say to her love. “I hope you wake up soon.” She squeezed his hand and fell into silence, just watching his chest move up and down with each breath and listening to the heart rate monitor beat out a steady tone. 

Beverly was still silent when Doctor Trunchard came around the curtain. 

“Oh, the nurse said you were talking to Ensign Picard.” 

“I was, but I ran out of things to say.” Trunchard smiled. “That happens when they can’t reply. Now, let’s take a look at the readouts.” Trunchard consulted various tabs on her PADD and at the heart rate monitor above Jean-Luc. “Everything’s steady as it should be. A slight spike about a half an hour ago. Would you like me to show you?” Beverly blushed.

“Oh, that was when I came in. Maybe he was happy to see me? Would he have known I came in?” 

“Hmm. Possibly. He could probably hear your voice. Now it’s just a waiting game for his body to be ready to wake up.” Doctor Trunchard pointed at the different machines and explained them to Beverly. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t bother explaining everything, but since you’re in medical school, consider it an early lesson. I understand his mother is arriving today?” Beverly nodded. “Oh, she should be arriving soon. Walker was going to go meet them. Marie, Jean-Luc’s sister-in-law, is coming along.” 

“Well, as soon as Mrs Picard arrives, you can have me paged and I’ll sit down with the two of you and explain everything. Some of it you will have heard the night before, but I like to make sure I am telling family members exactly the same information so there isn’t room for misinformation later.” Beverly smiled. “That’s a great idea. Mind if I adopt that policy once I’m a doctor?” 

“Not at all!”

###

Walker eyed the basket Yvette handed him and rolled his eyes at the older woman. “I can’t believe you brought the cat.” 

“Baby is Beverly’s baby. I felt it would be beneficial to my dear Beverly to have her here...though I do slightly regret travelling with her. She wasn’t allowed out of our small cabin on the shuttle, so I think she’s a little cranky. She wasn’t too pleased having to get back in the basket until I told her we were coming to Beverly.”

“Hmm. Well, let me show you where the suite is they gave Beverly to use and we’ll let Baby out and I’ll get her a litter tray before I take you to Jean-Luc.” Yvette smiled at Walker when he reached for the handle on her trunk. “Thank you. I brought Beverly some clothing, too.” Walker turned to Marie. “Do you need any help with your bag?”

“I’m fine. Thank you Walker.” Marie nervously clutched her bag close. This was only her second trip outside of France, and her first off planet. She had only been in a shuttle once before, and it had only been the short hop to the Academy to attend Jean-Luc and Beverly’s graduation. But she came along with Yvette, partially because Robert had asked her to, and partly because she cared deeply for her brother-in-law and his girlfriend. She took everything in with wide eyes, and Walker chuckled.

It was a short walk back to the accommodation, and as soon as the door shut, Walker opened the cat carrier and Baby came flying out. “Woah there, Baby. Look, I know this is a strange place for you, but Beverly will be glad to see you. Come on, I’ll show you her room.” Baby shot Walker a look and ran into the room Beverly was occupying and settled on the bed. “Hmm. Smart cat.” Walker headed for the replicator and quickly replicated a self-cleaning litter tray and food and water dishes for the cat, and put them in the small utility next to the kitchen, like it was set up at home. No doubt Baby would find her way into there when she needed it.

“Walker, before we go and see Jean-Luc and Beverly, would you tell me what happened last night? I don’t want to upset Beverly and ask.” Walker rubbed his neck. “Sure. Can I get you a tea first? Oh, do you want me to show you two how to use the replicator in case you need it while I’m not here?” Yvette motioned for Marie to join Walker over at the replicator and Marie watched in fascination. 

“We just tell it what we want?” 

“Well, within reason, but yes. The dish needs to be programmed in though if it’s a specialty. But most basic meal options are available. Are you hungry?” Marie nodded. “A little. The shuttle ride was a bit bumpy.”

“Just tell the replicator what you’d like. Yvette, can we get you some lunch?” 

“Yes, please. Just something simple.” Marie nodded again and spoke to the computer. “Two bowls of tomato soup, 2 small baguettes. Please.” Walker grinned. “Most people don’t say please.” Marie blushed and Walker patted her arm. “Don’t be embarrassed. Did you know Beverly and Jean-Luc met when Jean-Luc accidentally flooded his room with Earl Grey tea because he didn’t know how the replicator worked?” 

“No!” 

“Seriously. Get Beverly to tell you the story. You’ll be howling.”

Soup in hand, Marie and Walker joined Yvette on the settee and Walker began to tell the story of the previous evening. Yvette had gasped throughout. “And he’s fine?” 

“As far as I know he will be. Beverly hasn’t called me, so I’m guessing there’s been no change since I stopped in this morning.” 

“And Beverly?” Walker sighed. “Putting on a brave face. I heard her crying last night before bed, but I didn’t want her to know I heard so I stayed in my room. I don’t know if I did the right thing or not. She managed to eat a little food this morning and had a shower, but I don’t know if she took a break for lunch.” 

“Please take me to them.” 

###

“Maman!” Beverly rose from her seat and positively flew into the older woman’s arms, fighting back her tears. “Shh, shh, my dear, Maman is here.” Beverly lifted her head and sniffed. “Sorry.”

“No, my dear. It’s fine.” Beverly embraced Marie quickly. “Thank you for coming. Both of you. I’m sure Jean-Luc appreciates it too.” Beverly pressed the bell to alert the nurse and the nurse came over. “Hi, Doctor Trunchard wanted to know when Jean-Luc’s mother arrived.”

“I’ll let her know. Thanks.” 

Beverly indicated for Yvette to take her vacated seat. “I’ve been holding his hand and talking a little. He’s unconscious right now, but the doctor thinks he’ll wake up soon.” Yvette reached for her son’s hand and clasped it in hers. “Jean-Luc. _Maman est là. J'espère que tu ouvriras bientôt tes jolis yeux, ma chérie. Beverly vous attend. Je t'aime._ ” Beverly smiled. Doctor Trunchard came in and looked over at Beverly. “I didn’t know he spoke French. Should we be using French instead of Standard?” Beverly shook her head. “No. We use Standard, but his family tongue is French.” 

Doctor Trunchard looked on as Yvette spoke to her son. “Do you know what she’s saying?”

“Bits. I’m not very fluent, but I can get by at home. Maman is just telling him that she’s here, and I’m here, and we want him to wake up.” Trunchard raised her eyebrows. “Home?”

“I live with Jean-Luc at his parents when we’re not at the Academy. My own home – Caldos – is too far away.” Yvette looked up when she heard ‘Caldos’. “Beverly, have you called your grandmother?”

“No, I’m not sure what to tell her, but I’ll call her tonight.” 

“Good.”

“Maman, this is Doctor Trunchard. She’s taking care of Jean-Luc and wanted to meet with us today.” 

“Pleasure to meet you, Madame.” Trunchard held out her hand and Yvette shook it. “Likewise.” Beverly turned to Marie. “Marie, will you keep Jean-Luc company for a bit? He can hear you, so you can tell him about the vineyard goings on and Robert if you want.” Marie nodded at her friend.

“Of course. And I’m sure Walker will stay and talk, too?” Walker nodded. “Just let me get another chair. But Johnny will be sick of hearing my voice, so maybe you should do the talking.”

###

“Jean-Luc will be alright?” Yvette turned curious eyes on the doctor. “Yes, eventually. We really are waiting for him to wake up on his own so we can assess him and get him into rehabilitation.”

“Rehabilitation? Isn’t that for...well, you hear it when people get addicted to Moondust.” Yvette frowned. Had her son become addicted to an illegal substance without her knowledge?

“Sorry, that’s probably the wrong word. It’s not rehabilitation like weaning someone off an addiction, it’s rehabilitating their body and muscles. Like therapy. Basically, we’ll need to test his new heart’s stamina and help him to strengthen his muscles. He’ll be expected to take it easy for a while.” Yvette nodded. “And can he go home?”

“Not right away. Once he wakes up, we will want him here for three months and then I will assess him and if I think he’s fit to travel, we can send him home to continue his care. If they permit him to stay as an outpatient, there’s no reason he wouldn’t be able to travel to his home in France during treatment or even have his treatment moved to a facility there.” 

“ _Non_ , I think Jean-Luc would prefer to stay close to Beverly near the Academy, but thank you for the offer.” Beverly blushed. Naturally, she wanted Jean-Luc to be close to her, but she wouldn’t object if Jean-Luc decided to move back home to France. She wanted what was going to be best for Jean-Luc, and she was sure Yvette agreed with her.

“Any other questions for now? You can ask me anything later as you think of it.” 

_“_ I don’t have anything, do you, Beverly?” Beverly shook her head. “No, thank you Doctor Trunchard.” Yvette rose from her seat. “We should get something to eat. I think _someone_ skipped lunch.” She gave Beverly a stern look. 

“I...haven’t wanted to eat much. I’ve been too worried about Jean-Luc.” 

“Well, Doctor Trunchard said he’ll be ok, so you must come have some lunch with me. Besides, I have a surprise for you.”

“You do?”

“Yes, something...or rather, some _one_ who I think will be just as pleased to see you.” Beverly was curious. “Let me go give Jean-Luc a kiss and tell him I’ll be back later.” 

“Alright. And after we eat, I will need you to help me place a call home so I can update Maurice and Robert. I can use our system at home, but everything is different here.” 

“Of course.”

###

Beverly was overjoyed when she entered the family suite and a small ball of grey fur rubbed around her ankles. “Baby!” She picked up the cat and cuddled her close while Baby began to purr happily. “How did you know?”

“I know my Beverly. I know we can’t fix this overnight, but I thought Baby might make it a little more bearable for you.” Beverly leaned over and kissed Yvette’s cheek. “Thank you, Maman.” 

Beverly carried her feline companion over to the sofa and sat down with her. Baby immediately curled up against her chest and Beverly sighed. “Oh, Baby. Your daddy is injured.” 

“I brought you some clothes, too. I wasn’t sure how long you would need to be here and I know you only packed for the holiday.” Beverly smoothed down her dress. “Thanks. That will be a big help. The hospital is a little too chilly for my sundresses.” 

“Now, if your Walker will help me with the replicator, I think I might like to make us something to eat. Perhaps Afternoon Tea if you’re not very hungry?” Beverly nodded. 

###

Six days later, Jean-Luc’s eyes fluttered open and fortunately, Beverly was there to see it. “Bev?” Jean-Luc coughed. “Hi there, sleepyhead,” she leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Been a while.” Jean-Luc opened his mouth to speak and Beverly held up her hand. “I know. But let’s get you some water and get you looked at first.” Beverly pressed the button for the nurse who hurried over and grinned when she saw Jean-Luc’s eyes open. “I’ll alert the doctor and bring some water for you, Ensign. You just don’t let go of your wife’s hand.” Jean-Luc turned a curious eye to Beverly. “I’ll explain later,” she whispered as she pressed another kiss to his surprised face. 

Doctor Trunchard pulled back the curtain. “Ah, Ensign Picard. Nice to see you awake. I’m Doctor Trunchard.” Jean-Luc took a careful sip of water from the cup Beverly was handed. “H...hello. What happened?”

“Beverly, have you told him anything?” Beverly shook her head. “No. Jean-Luc just woke up and I immediately pressed the button.” 

“Ok. Jean-Luc..may I call you Jean-Luc?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Jean-Luc, can you tell me the last thing you remember?”

“Uhm....I was playing Dom Jot with Walker and Corey against cheating Nausicaans....one of them punched Corey and then Walker got kicked..are they ok?” Trunchard smiled. “Your friends are fine. Ensign Zweller has left and reported for duty, and Ensign Keel is showing your sister-in-law the swimming pool.”

“Marie is here?” Beverly nodded. “And Maman.”

“Bev...what happened? How long have I been here?” Beverly had tears in her eyes. “Walker got kicked and I ran over to him to check on him and I looked up and there was one of the Nausicaans coming at you with a knife and he....he stabbed you.” 

“But I’m ok now...right?”

“Uhm...” Beverly looked over at Trunchard for assistance. “You’re doing fine, Beverly. Just tell Jean-Luc what happened and I’ll fill in the gaps for him.” 

“Ok. Jean-Luc...when you were stabbed there was a lot of blood....I thought you were dying. The medics came and put you in stasis to bring you here and Doctor Trunchard had to....you had to have...uhm...you had to have your heart replaced.” 

“What?” Jean-Luc tried to sit up in the bed, but Beverly placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and laid him back down. Doctor Trunchard picked up the narrative.

“I’m sorry, Ensign. When you arrived, you had lost a lot of blood and your heart was too damaged to be repaired. We couldn’t wait for a cloned heart to be created and we had no viable tissue from your heart, so we had to use an artificial one.” 

“So..I’m a machine now?” Beverly shook her head. “No, my love. You’re not. Just your heart.” 

“And...how long have I been here?” 

“About a week.” Jean-Luc’s eyes widened and he tried to sit up for the second time. “A week?! I’m late for my assignment!” Beverly gently pushed him back down onto the bed. Doctor Trunchard concealed a smile at how eager he was to resume his duties.

“You’ll get a new one. Your CO said to contact him when you can resume duty and he’ll see if he has a place for you.” 

Jean-Luc turned his eyes to his doctor. “Doctor, when can I expect to resume my duties?” 

“At best? Six months. Possibly longer until full duty, but we might be able to get you on light duty after six.” 

“Six months? Wow. Uhm...I don’t know what to say about that yet.”

“It’s ok. It’s a lot to take in. Do you currently have any questions for me?” Jean-Luc thought about it for a minute before indicating to Beverly to bring his drink close again so he could have a sip of water before speaking again. “When can I leave the hospital?”

Trunchard grinned. “Beverly and your family have a family suite for their use. Once you’re able to get up and walk to the toilet on your own and can eat full meal, I will release you to stay in the suite, provided you return daily for your care and therapy until we determine you can return to Earth for your rehabilitation. Something tells me with your lovely Beverly there, you’ll be here right on time if we release you.” He grinned but turned to Beverly. “Bev? What about school?”

“Uhm...we’ll talk about that later, ok? Why don’t I get Maman while the doctor finishes her exam?” Beverly kissed his forehead before slipping out. Truth was, she hadn’t yet spoken with her advisor as she was waiting for Jean-Luc to wake up. She hoped they would agree to letting her defer a semester so she could stay with him, or complete her classes via correspondence.

###

Jean-Luc worked hard and he finally managed to walk himself to the toilet without any assistance four days later. He was cautioned – well, _Beverly_ was cautioned – that they should avoid resuming physical activity for another few weeks, which made them both blush, but he would be permitted to sleep in the suite and hold Beverly in his arms. He was disappointed to find out he would need to be on a restricted diet for another few weeks, and one of the things he needed to avoid was caffeine. Beverly had laughed. “Uh oh. What are you going to do without your Earl Grey?”

“Order decaf from the replicator? I mean, it won’t taste the same, but at least it’s tea.” Beverly grinned. “Maman and Marie have been fascinated with the replicator. Think Papa will install one now that Maman has used it?” 

“Doubtful. But we can hope.” Jean-Luc swung his legs over the side of his hospital bed. “Did you happen to bring a change of clothes so I don’t have to walk around in a hospital gown?” Beverly nodded. “I did, but first, you need your next shot.” 

“For what?”

“Well, the blade you were stabbed with was kind of rusty. They were worried about you getting an infection from it.” 

“Oh, so like another hypospray?” Beverly shook her head. “Not _exactly._ This kind of shot can’t be administered to your neck with a hypospray...it’s a needle.” Jean-Luc frowned and Beverly giggled. “In your behind.”

“Uhm....”

“You had two while you were unconscious and didn’t seem to notice!” 

“Right. So, who administers this shot to my backside? You?” Beverly shook her head. “No, one of the nurses. Actually, it was one of the male nurses last time because they needed to turn you onto your side, and apparently you’re heavy.” Jean-Luc blushed.

“A male nurse? Please tell me Walker doesn’t know.” Beverly grinned again. “Sorry.” 

“Ugh, let’s just get it over with.” Beverly patted his hand. “I’ll kiss it and make it better later.” 

One painful shot in his rear later, and Jean-Luc was finally getting dressed and followed Beverly to the family suite. Walker would stay with them for another four days, and his mother said she and Marie would stay a little longer. He reached for Beverly’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Staying with me.” He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, Walker wanted to have a surprise party for you, but I told him I would have to tell you since we aren’t supposed to give you too many shocks right now that could raise your heart rate.” Jean-Luc lifted his wrist, where he had a heart monitor strapped on. “Won’t this tell us?”

“It will, but if your heart rate goes too high and sustains the high rate, you have to go back into the hospital. You’re not ready yet for anything....stimulating.” He grinned. “I know Doctor Trunchard said we can’t have sex, but we can do _other_ things...right?” 

“Hmm. We’ll see.” Jean-Luc draped his arm around Beverly, glad that she was by his side.

Jean-Luc was soon installed in a corner of the settee with Beverly curled up against him and Baby in his lap. He stroked the grey cat with a grin. “I can’t believe Maman travelled with her.” 

“Me neither, but Maman was right. Baby helped keep me calm while you were still unconscious.” Jean-Luc kissed her temple. “Good.” He scratched Baby under her chin. “And good kitty.” 

Yvette was trying to be the host, despite only learning how to use a replicator the week before and placed a standard looking tea pot on the table in front of them. “This _should_ be decaf. Walker showed me how to order it. I’ve looked at your food list and I think I can make you something...are you hungry?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at his mother and patted the sofa.

“Maman, come. Sit with me. Please?” Beverly and Jean-Luc shifted to make room on Jean-Luc’s other side for Yvette and he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. “Thank you for coming, Maman,” he glanced over at Marie on the opposite sofa. “You too, Marie.” 

“Honestly, Jean-Luc, I haven’t been doing much. I only came so Yvette didn’t travel on her own. I’ve spent more time being shown around by Walker than anything else.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Well, you’re still here. It means a lot to me.” Beverly laughed.

“Softie.”

“Yeah. Is that a problem?” Beverly gave him a kiss. “Nope.”

Walker passed Marie a glass of wine and sat next to her, draping his arm across the back of the sofa. “Your wine, Madame. Or is it Comtesse?” Marie laughed. “Either will do, I suppose.” She took a sip. “Hmm. Not bad, Walker. Where did this one come from?”

“New Austria.” 

“Hmm. I still prefer ours better.” Walker grinned. “Wine snob.”

“Walker, you should know better than to try to give a Picard a glass of wine that isn’t from their vineyard.” Beverly rolled her eyes at her friend. “How many wines have you tried giving Marie and Maman?”

“This is the tenth.” 

“And have any of them impressed them?” Walker shook his head. “No.” 

“I rest my case.” Jean-Luc laughed. “Is that how you’ve been passing the time while I’ve been in hospital? Trying to get my family drunk?” 

“It hasn’t worked yet.” 

“Walker has been very helpful. He is a very good friend, Jean-Luc.” Jean-Luc grinned at his mother. “I know. Hey, has anyone called Jack?”

“Walker talked to him the day after your accident. He doesn’t know you’ve been sort of released, but Walker called him with an update a few days ago and he sent messages to Corey and Marta. I talked to Sora yesterday. She told me to tell you to get up off your butt and stop being lazy.” He grinned. “Sounds like Sora.” 

“Your father and brother both send their love.” Jean-Luc rolled their eyes. “Really, Maman?”

“Alright, perhaps that’s not what they said, but they _do_ care.” 

“How are they coping without you and Marie home to do the cooking?” Yvette laughed. “Not very well. Marie’s mother has taken pity on them and has been sending over fresh bread, pastries, and dinner each day. Your father manages to make sandwiches for lunch.” Jean-Luc grinned. “I’d love to see them trying to use the washing machine.” At home growing up, Jean-Luc had been the one to help his mother around the house while Robert was outside with their father. Jean-Luc wasn’t even sure if Robert knew what a washing machine was.

“I asked Lucille to go over and help with the cleaning. They’ll be fine. I am staying put as long as you and Beverly want me here, and Marie is staying, too.” Jean-Luc grinned at Marie. “Might as well take advantage of the holiday from Robert.”

“You know, Marie, if you ever get tired of Robert....” Walker wiggled his eyebrows at Marie and she only laughed and shook her head. 

“Oi, quit flirting with my sister-in-law!”

“Would you rather I flirt with your girlfriend?”

“No.”

###

Beverly revelled in being held in bed that night by Jean-Luc. “I know I’ve only been sleeping alone for ten days, and I know I should actually be sleeping alone if you hadn’t had your accident, but I’m so glad you’re here.” She leaned up and deeply kissed him. “I love you, Jean-Luc.”

“I love you too, Beverly. I wish we could make love right now. I want to touch you so badly.” 

“I know, but let’s just wait until the doctor says we can, alright? Tell you what. Tomorrow night we’ll have a bath together, alright?”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Beverly grinned.

“Mm, hoping for more than just being held.”

“ _Beverly!”_


	18. Chapter 18

Jean-Luc hissed as Beverly trailed a hand down his chest. _Beep_. He sucked in a breath when she followed her hand with her lips and then he was fully undone when her lips dipped lower. _Beep. Beep_. 

“Wow, that’s distracting.”

“Shhhh,” Beverly shifted and moved up his body to kiss him deeply. “Don’t think about it, my love. Concentrate on me.” Jean-Luc grinned and rolled them over. “Mm, that I can do.” _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._ “Maybe.” Beverly let out a growl. “Please? It’s been....too long.” 

Their lovemaking was awkward, as each spike in Jean-Luc’s heart rate was accompanied by a beep out of the monitor he had strapped to his wrist. He felt a little like a lab experiment, especially when he had practically been ordered to have sex with his girlfriend to test his heart. The monitor was sending the pulses directly to the doctor and if the monitor continually beeped for five minutes, medics would be dispatched to their quarters. They also had a “panic button” in case something happened to Jean-Luc. 

Beverly cried out and Jean-Luc soon followed, collapsing on top of her breathless. Her hand went to his chest where she could feel his new heart beating. They both listened to the monitor. _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.....Beep.........Beep_. The beeping slowed as Jean-Luc’s heart rate calmed down once more. 

“Well, I’d say that was a success.” Beverly laughed while she kissed him.

“Indeed.” Jean-Luc kissed her back. “Shower?”

“Yes, please.”

His heart rate monitor beeped several times during their shower. 

###

Jean-Luc continued to work hard at his rehabilitation, and after his three month evaluation, Doctor Trunchard decided Jean-Luc could safely return to Earth for the rest of his rehabilitation. Beverly was a bit relieved, as she had so far missed two weeks of classes and she hoped she might be able to catch up. Their flat was close enough to Starfleet Medical for Jean-Luc to be able to live at home, provided he didn’t miss any appointments and followed the orders of his doctors. 

###

Beverly stood nervously outside the office door of one of her instructors and knocked. She had been sent a message to come to the professor’s office as soon as possible, and Beverly was worried. Catching up had taken her hardly any time at all, and she wasn’t doing badly in any of her classes, but she worried nonetheless.

“Come in.” Beverly pushed open the door. “You wanted to see me, Doctor?”

“Yes. Ensign Howard. How _are_ you?” Beverly wiped her hands on her uniform skirt. “Uhm. Fine?” 

“Good, good.” The greying doctor looked down his nose at her. “You have missed two weeks of class. To be more specific, you have missed the first two weeks of all of your classes.” 

“Yes, I know. But I have managed to get myself completely caught up in all of my classes.”

“And the reason you missed the first two weeks of my class? I’m assuming it’s good.” Beverly nodded and repeated the same phrase she had told her other instructors who had all been understanding and accommodating.

“My boyfriend was injured off planet during the break and I stayed with him until he could safely return home to continue treatment.” 

“I see. And you felt this was more important that your education?” Beverly paused. She _wanted_ to say yes. Jean-Luc was more important to her than _anything_. But if she said yes, would she be sacrificing her medical career? She needed to pass this class and Doctor Shinkin was the only instructor. Doctor Shinkin continued to glare at her and steepled his fingers on his desk. “I see.” 

“No, ah, you misunderstand....” Beverly floundered. 

“I understand perfectly well. Your _boyfriend_ is more important than your career.” 

“Yes. I mean, no. I mean....” Beverly sighed. “You make it sound like it’s just a fling. Jean-Luc and I plan on getting married after I finish medical school. We’ve been together for four years and he’s basically my fiancé. He means the world to me.” 

“But how much does being a doctor mean to you?” Beverly was speechless. She had wanted to be a doctor since she was fourteen _and_ she loved Jean-Luc. Why was her instructor making her feel as though she had to pick between the two? Doctor Shinkin continued to stare at Beverly. “You are dismissed, Ensign.” 

“Thank you, Sir.”

###

At his six-month meeting, Jean-Luc’s new doctor, Doctor Balbel, agreed to release him for “light duties”. He wouldn’t be able to take an assignment on a ship, but he could work at Command or the Academy either three days per week, or four hours per day. He was a bit relieved, although he wasn’t too thrilled with his assignment. 

“I can’t believe they want me to be a teaching assistant.” He grumbled and accepted the bottle of beer Jack offered before settling onto the worn sofa in their living room. Jack clinked the neck of his bottle against Jean-Luc’s.

“Could be worse, Johnny.”

“How?”

“They could have assigned you to Command.” Jean-Luc grumbled. “At least Command would help advance my career. What’s being a teaching assistant going to do? I don’t _want_ to teach. I want to be an explorer.” 

“Yeah, but it’s only temporary. I mean, I guess the benefit of being a teaching assistant is the hours, right? You’ll only have a few hours per day which fits it with your current restrictions.” 

“I guess. I mean, it would be hard to work on projects knowing I would only be able to work on them for four hours each day. I suppose the risk is I would simply bring my work home...at least with teaching I have one class for one hour three days per week, plus office hours.” Jack grinned at his friend. “Besides, you might meet some cute coeds!” 

“I already _have_ a girlfriend.” 

“Yeah, but you could meet them for _me_.” Jean-Luc merely rolled his eyes at his friend as he sipped his beer. At least he was _finally_ allowed to drink alcohol again.

###

Beverly felt like she was back in her third year of the Academy again. Her extra time with Jean-Luc was tempered with the fact that Doctor Shinkin seemed to be singling her out and piling on extra work. Not to mention she hated being _grateful_ for her extra time with Jean-Luc when it was the result of an accident and at the detriment of his career. 

Beverly threw her book across the room in frustration and Jean-Luc looked up from the small kitchen where he had been cooking dinner. “Bev?”

“Sorry. I’m just...frustrated. Doctor Shinkin is _awful_.” 

“Can you drop the class?”

“No. It’s Advanced Exobiology. Kind of can’t get a job on a ship if I don’t know non-human physiology, can I?” Jean-Luc frowned. “I suppose not. But...I thought you did really well in the intro class?”

“I _did_. But it’s Doctor Shinkin, not the actual class. He always singles me out to ask me the most obscure questions and if I even pause to think, he tells me my patient is dead.” Beverly flopped onto the sofa and took the offered cup of tea. “Mm, thanks.”

“Thought you could use it.” Jean-Luc settled next to her and wrapped an arm around her. “ Surely, he doesn’t expect you to memorise the entire text?” Beverly shrugged. “Apparently.”

“But...ok, let’s say you’re the Chief Medical Officer and you’re treating a non-human crewman. You have the ship’s computer at your disposal, so if you can’t remember something right off the bat, can’t you just say ‘computer, access physiology of....’ whatever species you’re treating?”

“ _Could_ , but...then why have a doctor at all? Why not just have a regular crewman stationed in Sickbay who can just look up all the answers on the computer?” 

“Not...not _all_ the answers. Just....things you can’t remember or don’t know. Besides, someone needs to know how to treat them. I mean, if we encounter an alien species we never encountered before, wouldn’t we ask the computer about them?” 

“You might have a point, but I don’t think bringing that up will help me. No, I’m just going to have to keep reading this stupid text and find all the obscure details.” Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “I’m sorry.” Beverly smiled. “It’s alright.” Beverly _hadn’t_ told Jean-Luc that one of the reasons Shinkin was so hard on her was because she had missed the first two weeks. She didn’t want Jean-Luc to feel bad. Beverly’s smile turned into a grin. “So, what’s for dinner? You know, you’re _really_ spoiling me with cooking every night.” 

“Well, not like I have much else to do. Tonight I thought I would make Maman’s Ratatouille.” 

“Mm, I love that dish!” 

“I know.” Jean-Luc rose from the sofa and Beverly playfully swatted his bottom. “You better get back to chopping!”

“Yes, Sir!” Jean-Luc mock saluted before turning back to their kitchen.

###

Jean-Luc and Beverly went home for the summer so Beverly could work for Doctor Keats again. Jean-Luc’s one year anniversary of his new heart was a bittersweet day for the couple, remembering the accident that caused the replacement, but also having enjoyed their extra year together. Jean-Luc was finally released for full duty, but he was waiting on an assignment. Admiral Brant thought it might be tough, since he would be up against newly qualified Ensigns who had not missed a year of service, but he was going to do his best to find Jean-Luc a position that would be challenging for the young man. Jean-Luc had his friends checking with their COs, too, and he was sure he would get an offer eventually.

Jean-Luc leaned over his girlfriend’s naked body on the picnic blanket and gently kissed her breasts. “I’m glad you have the day off today. This was a good idea.” Beverly moaned and licked her lips when he drew a nipple into his mouth and lightly bit. “Which part? The picnic? Or...”

“Yes.” 

###

"When do you leave?" Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he looked at his girlfriend of over four years and his betrothed. He felt the cool metal of his promise ring clash against his skin and he hesitated before answering. She saw him hesitate and she spoke again. "Just tell me."

  
He sighed. "Four days. I rendezvous with the _Reliant_ at Starbase thirty-two. I'll be rooming with Walker. But...ah, Bev, sweetheart," he reached for her and cupped her cheek. "We'll be going into deep space for a year with no communication other than sporadic data packets."  
  
"Oh," Beverly flatly said.   
  
"Yeah."   
  
Beverly paced around their bedroom. "A few months at a time I could handle. But a whole _year_ without you?" He nodded and reached for her and she willingly went into his arms, the tears already slipping down her cheeks. "When you were stabbed....I thought I lost you. I wouldn't leave you and I almost failed out of med school...but this feels ten times worse than looking at you on that hospital bed not knowing if you were going to wake up or not."  
  
"I know." He held her close and let her cry, his own tears falling on her hair. "This is how Starfleet repays us? By sending you away?"  
  
"Shh, my love. Please." Beverly passionately kissed him, tears and all and pulled at his clothes. Jean-Luc kissed her back but pulled away slightly. "Bev? Is this what you want?"  
  
She nodded. "One more...well, three more nights with you. Please. I want...something to remember."  
  
"Oh, sweetheart."  
  
They made love frantically at first before settling into a gentler pace. There wasn't an inch of skin left uncaressed or unkissed. At first, Beverly bit her lip to keep herself from crying, but when Jean-Luc's lips met hers in a choked sob, the floodgates opened.  
  
They laid entwined. Four legs and four arms criss crossing each other and holding on. Beverly glanced at her finger and at the ring that hadn’t come off in over four years. "Do you...do you want your ring back? Should we...break up?"  
  
“I don’t know what we should do," his voice was rough and thick with emotion. "But I don’t want my ring back. It’s yours. Do you want yours back?"  
  
"No."  
  
They didn't leave their bedroom for two days, and never wore more than a bath robe, needing no sustenance other than each other. They enjoyed a long, hot bath in the large tub and a frantic session under the shower. Baby seemed to sense something was wrong and except for trips to her food dish and litter tray, she stayed on her cat tree by the window, almost keeping vigil over her humans and daring anyone to disturb them.   
  
On the third day, Jean-Luc rose from the bed and began packing his footlocker. He carefully packed the antique telescope Beverly gave him for his eighteenth birthday and his tome of Shakespeare. A picture frame containing a photograph of him and Beverly at the last yuletide ball went in with a sad smile. "I'll keep it on my bedside table to look at you every morning and night." Beverly tried to smile.  
  
"When will I see you?"  
  
"Thirteen months? We'll plan shore leave. Just the two of us or we can get the group together."  
  
"And then?" Jean-Luc shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you'll be starting your residencies by then. I could put in for a transfer to be near you..."  
  
“Will you be at my graduation?"  
  
"Wouldn't miss it." He leaned over the bed and kissed her softly. "I have a question to ask you then, don't I?"  
  
"If....if it's what you still want by then." Beverly twisted her promise ring around her finger. He smiled at her. "I would ask you now, but I don't think the timing is right."

  
Beverly shook her head. "No," she choked out before a fresh wave of tears came over her. “I already don’t like being separated from you for over a year. It would be...harder if we were married.” Jean-Luc crawled back into bed and pulled her onto his lap and gently rubbed her back. "I love you, Beverly. I love you so much."

“I don’t want to say goodbye, but I know we have to.” Beverly captured his lips once more in a passionate kiss. “Make love to me...one more time before you go? Something to....remember us by.”   
  
###  
  
Beverly moved out of the bedroom she had shared with Jean-Luc and into Sora's old room. Her friend had moved out around the time of Jean-Luc’s accident and recovery, thinking her friend could do without so many people around staring at him asking him how he felt and Beverly couldn't handle sleeping in the room so full of happy memories. Baby had moved bedrooms with her, but more often than not would still sleep on the other bed, as jf trying to will Jean-Luc home. Yvette sent Beverly a message inviting her to come home for a few days, but Beverly couldn’t bear to visit the vineyard and see Jean-Luc’s empty bedroom or worse, the empty barn loft.

She carefully moved the star projector Jean-Luc had given her for her graduation and fell asleep each night watching the stars go by on her ceiling, knowing that they were the same stars Jean-Luc was looking at. It brought her a small comfort.

###  
  
Beverly heard from Jean-Luc when he reached Starbase 32, but he had been incommunicado for three weeks and it was getting to Beverly. She had written him letters - daily, at first, and then tapering off to only a few times per week. She didn’t know what to say to him since he would get the letters all at once. Her day-to-day studies seemed boring when she wrote about them and she had closed herself off from her friends, so she wasn’t doing anything other than attending class and studying.

A full month went by without any contact from the _Reliant_ , and then the second. Beverly would look at the stars projected on her ceiling and wonder where they were as she had never seen them before. She opened a bottle of wine Yvette and Maurice had sent, and the first led to a second and before she knew it, she was drop down drunk. When Jack came home from his shift at Command, she kiss him without realising what she was doing and it was easy for her to remove her clothing and to make love to him there on the settee in the living room.

She woke up, naked, in Jack’s bed with a splitting headache and a sense of doom and regret tinged with guilt hanging over her. Of course, she and Jean-Luc hadn’t actually decided if their relationship was ending or not...it was more like they had put a semi-colon in it and would see how they felt after his mission. But Beverly was sure that he was still her betrothed, and sure she shouldn’t have slept with someone else. Beverly crept out of Jack’s bed and made her way to the door. Her clothing was strewn all over the living room and she just let the tears fall as she hurried into her new bedroom and shut the door. Jean-Luc’s stars were screaming across her ceiling and Baby looked at her from the bed as if to say “What have you done?” 

When she emerged later, fully dressed, Jack was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. Beverly cautiously approached the replicator and ordered her own coffee, and was shocked when Jack swooped her into his arms to kiss her. 

“No, we shouldn’t.” Beverly pulled away. “Bev, babe. Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that?” 

“I....” 

“Come sit with me.” Jack patted his lap and Beverly obediently sat like a lapdog. She twisted her ring around her finger and wondered if she should even still be wearing it. Had she just cheated on her almost fiancé? _Was_ he still her almost fiancé?

Beverly managed to avoid Jack all week, staying late on campus to study and deliberately arriving home when she knew he would already be in bed. When the weekend came, she realised with a sigh that she didn’t know what to do and she sat and wrote and deleted countless letters to Jean-Luc confessing to her night of drunken sex with Jack, apologizing for betraying him, and telling him she loved him more than anything in the world. She wrote the words over and over but each time she pressed the delete button instead of the send button. Maybe it would just be easier _not_ to tell him...after all, she wouldn’t see him for another ten months and it _had_ only been the one time.

Another month went by. Beverly had slept with Jack a few more times without really thinking when he would kiss her neck and caress her gently when a packet of letters finally reached her from the _Reliant_. She realised Jean-Luc would be receiving her letters, too and with a jolt realised she hadn’t written to him in several weeks. She crossed her fingers and hoped he would just think she was absorbed in her studies – which she was, to be fair. She sat down to write him another letter, this time apologizing for her lack of letters. She didn’t tell him about her sleeping with Jack, but she signed her letter “ _With love, Beverly xx”_

Jean-Luc was eight months into his mission and Walker was tired of his friend’s moping, but he didn’t know what to do to cheer him up since they couldn’t make calls to Earth due to the distance. He had sent a message to Sora once, who had written back that Beverly seemed distraught when she saw her at class but Sora had had no further information to offer since Beverly hadn’t been spending much time with her friends. Walker instead distracted Jean-Luc with poker and set up a tournament in the lower decks. 

Beverly felt guilt every time she looked at the ring on her finger, but she hadn’t been willing to remove it. Jack had asked her to on more than one occasion, claiming it dug into him despite it being perfectly smooth. Beverly found a chain in her jewellery box and put the ring around her neck. She couldn’t bring herself to remove it completely, even if she was fairly certain Jean-Luc and her relationship was over. She still didn’t actually understand what she was doing, or why she kept returning to Jack’s bed.

She spent many of her nights in Jack’s room, usually naked. Occasionally Jack would join her in her room, but Baby would always hiss at him and bat at him when he tried to touch her, so he preferred sleeping in his own room with the door closed against the cat. The odd thing was, Baby had never hissed at anyone or anything before, only at Jack. Jack also didn’t like her star projector and said it was a distraction, so she had begun to leave it turned off when he was in her room, and never moved it to his. Beverly absently cuddled Baby while she cried for her lost love, sure that things would never be the same between her and Jean-Luc again. She still loved him deeply, but how could she expect him to want to be with her when she had been sleeping with Jack for the past eight months? And why _was_ she sleeping with Jack. Why couldn’t she just tell him no? Was she so starved for attention that she couldn’t say no when Jack touched her?

Ten months into the mission, Jean-Luc and Walker were surprised with promotions from Ensign to Lieutenant, Junior Grade. Jean-Luc wanted to rush to his comm to send Beverly a message, but with a start he realised he hadn’t heard from her in two months, and he knew the _Reliant_ was now receiving regular data packets as it moved back towards Earth. He sat at his console and puzzled over what to write to her, finally settling on just telling her about his and Walker’s simultaneous promotions. He ended his letter with “ _I miss you. All my love, JL x”_

With one month remaining, and the ship now close enough for video calls, Jean-Luc called Beverly. Their chat was seemingly awkward, but they made plans to get their friends together for shore leave the following month at a beach they had visited once before. Beverly said she would take care of booking rooms for everyone. He ended the call telling her he loved her and missed her, but either she had clicked off or they had a bad connection before she was able to respond. Jean-Luc’s heart felt heavy. Had they made the wrong decision by not getting married before he left? Should he have turned down the assignment when it was offered, even though it was the only offer he had been given after his accident and Captain Quinn had explained how some of the other captains now viewed him as reckless? Was his relationship with the love of his life not just paused, but completely over?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter a lot. My original plans for this fic didn't have them dating when these events take place, they were only supposed to be friends...but then through editing, they started dating when they were at the Academy so....this had to happen. Uhm, but I can promise it's only temporary?


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our lovers meet on Shore Leave....but will they get back together?

**2328**

Beverly was waiting when Jean-Luc walked down the gangway and he embraced her. “Bev, I’ve missed you so much.” He gave her a quick kiss, which she returned nervously. Jean-Luc ran his hands down her arms to grasp her hands and gave them a squeeze, making her blush. Her eyes were downcast as if she didn’t want to meet his.

“Bev, sweetheart, is something wrong?” He tilted her chin up and she attempted to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes and he could tell. “No. But...ah...we need to talk later, alright?” 

“Sure.” Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around Beverly and kissed her temple as they walked towards their friends and he didn’t notice when she slipped away from him to stand next to Jack. He also didn’t notice the hand that Jack placed on Beverly’s back possessively. “Jack! How’s Command treating you?” The two men roughly embraced with a pat on the back.

“Not too bad Johnny. Do wish I was out there on a starship, but I guess some of us have to stay at home,” He moved his arm to drape it across Beverly’s shoulder. “How’s the _Reliant_ treating you _?_ ” 

“Well, it’s the Astrophysics department, but it’s not _too_ bad. I’d much rather be a flight controller, but you know. I had to take what I was offered. At least Walker is on the ship with me and we share quarters. He’ll be here soon. He had a project to wrap up before he could join us. Who else is here from the old crowd?”

“Sora, Corey and Marta, and a friend of mine from the Academy named Phil.” Jean-Luc grinned at Jack. “Excellent. Walker will be pleased to see Sora. Did you check into our room, Bev?” 

“Actually, Johnny, you have your _own_ room.” Jean-Luc shot a puzzled look at Jack but nodded. “Alright. Let me put my bag away and get changed out of my uniform. Bev? Want to have dinner with me?” Beverly glanced over at Jack before replying. “Absolutely. We need to catch up. I’ll walk back with you so I can change, too.” 

Dinner was tense and awkward. The couple didn’t really know what to say to each other, despite barely speaking in the past year. Of course, Beverly was trying to gain the courage to tell Jean-Luc she had been sleeping with Jack and to ask his forgiveness, but every time she opened her mouth, she stopped herself. She didn’t think he would ever forgive her and she was so ashamed of what he did...and that she still hadn’t stopped. She had refused Jack’s suggestion that they share a room though, and she had booked her own at least. Jean-Luc reached out and tenderly ran his hand down her face making her smile and blush. 

“I’ve missed you so much, Beverly. I...I think we made a mistake breaking up or whatever it is we did before I left. What do you think?” Tears pooled in Beverly’s eyes, and Jean-Luc was quick to wipe them away. “Don’t cry, my love. Come on, let’s go back to my room and talk, alright? I can tell something is bothering you...” She nodded and Jean-Luc quickly settled the bill before wrapping an arm around her comfortingly. He squeezed her shoulder. “It’ll be alright. Come on.”

Once in Jean-Luc’s room, Beverly began to pace around nervously. “Bev? Talk to me.” Beverly wrung her hands and then threw caution to the wind and threw herself into Jean-Luc’s arms, kissing him passionately. Jean-Luc returned the kiss and his arms went to wrap around her, gripping her hips.

“I need to tell you something....but...I want to be with you so badly right now. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you.” She untucked his shirt and pulled it over his head while he found the zip on her dress and dragged it down. He kissed her shoulder as he pushed her dress to the floor and she stepped out of it with ease. “What....what do you need to tell me?” He asked her between desperate kisses as he expertly removed her bra and kissed his way down to her chest. His eyes were drawn to the silver chain, from which her promise ring from him was hanging. He had an identical chain around his own neck with his ring she was staring at, having removed it because the metal ring had interfered with a project he was working on on the ship. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them over his hips before answering his question.

“Jack.” Jean-Luc looked up and moved his mouth off her breast. “What about him?” 

“I...ah....” she pulled back. “Sit down, please.” Jean-Luc shot her a funny look but perched on the edge of the bed clad in his boxers with his ankles still in his trousers. “Alright, I’m sitting.” 

“Don’t...don’t be mad at me, alright?” Jean-Luc caught her hands. “Sweetheart, I will _never_ be mad at you. I lo-“

“No. Don’t say it. Please.” He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them one by one. “Alright, but you know I do.” 

“You won’t after this...”

“After what? Sweetheart, please. Are you alright?” Beverly sighed. It was now or never, and if she never told him, what kind of person did that make her? Then again, what kind of person did it make her to not only sleep with another man once, but to sleep with him over and over. Was she _that_ desperate for companionship? She didn’t even care for Jack all that much!

“I slept with Jack.” Jean-Luc dropped her hands as if they were hot and folded his arms across his chest. He looked at her with pain in his eyes. “When?”

“A few months after...after you left...I was so upset and I was missing you and I drank a few bottles of wine and.. I was drunk and I just...fell into bed with him.” She looked at the floor, not wanting to continue to see the look on his face, sure that it was full of anger.

“I...I see.” Beverly straddled his legs and pushed her chest against his. She met his lips in a kiss and he struggled to keep his head clear. He could forgive her, easily. He loved her, but he had to know. “Do you love him?”

“No. Never,” she kissed him again, trying to send all her love for him through a single kiss. Jean-Luc levelled a gaze at her.

“Do you want to...be with him?” Beverly shook her head.

“Right now, I want to be with you. Please?” He kissed her and his kiss was fuelled with passion. He uncrossed his arms and held her tightly. Her panties and the rest of his clothing were discarded, and Jean-Luc was worshipping her body. Every loving caress and kiss was like a tiny knife being stabbed into Beverly. She _was_ still in love with him, but she didn’t know if she could...if she _should_ tell him. Hot tears leaked out of her eyes and Jean-Luc was quick to kiss them away, even though his eyes were filling with tears of his own. “Oh, my love. Please...let’s not cry.”

They joined together in what Beverly could only think of as painful bliss. He knew where to touch her, how deep to thrust, and when to kiss her and she soon became undone as sobs wracked her body while she came crying out his name. He held her close and kissed her while she cried, either out of guilt or sorrow, she wasn’t sure which. His own tears leaked out of his eyes and fell on her hair. She didn’t know what was more painful, their goodbye last year, or this. But something about this time felt more final than it had before. She fell asleep in Jean-Luc’s arms, and they made love once more in the morning before Beverly left to return to her room. She and Jean-Luc still hadn’t exactly broken up, but Beverly was sure their relationship was irreparable. She would be lucky if he would still be friends with her after all of this, let alone ever want to be with her again.

###

The group of friends had an enjoyable few days together on the beach and Beverly and Jean-Luc did their best to not involve their friends in their relationship troubles, and Beverly spent most of her time hanging out on a beach towel next to Sora catching up with her. Sora thought it was odd that Beverly was spending time with her and not Jean-Luc when they could hang out back at home, but she assumed they were spending their evenings together and didn’t ask. She _had_ noticed the looks Jack was sending to Beverly and wondered what was going on but decided she really didn’t care about Jack enough to ask.

Jean-Luc had been surprised to discover Jack’s friend named Phil was actually a woman named Phillipa who had been in their class at the Academy and was now working on her law degree. Jean-Luc had a vague recollection of the woman after being introduced to her, but not enough to remember meeting her. Phillipa confessed to Jack she was attracted to Jean-Luc, and Jack saw it as an opportunity to make sure Jean-Luc left Beverly. He decided he would arrange for a double date...only this time, _he_ would be Beverly’s date, not Jean-Luc. He had noticed Beverly had been a little subdued since her dinner with Jean-Luc, but they also hadn’t spent much time together since. He didn’t know what had happened between them, though he had watched Beverly’s room all night and knew she hadn’t returned until morning. He assumed Beverly had told him it was over, as Jean-Luc seemed to look at him with anger in his eyes, but didn’t speak up and fortunately, hadn’t hit him.

Jean-Luc kissed Phillipa’s cheek in greeting and pulled out her chair, but his eyes remained on Beverly and she tried to avoid his gaze. Phillipa didn’t know what was going on between the two. She didn’t _think_ they were involved with each other, since Jack had said they were all old friends and roommates, but then maybe he had feelings for the other woman and was upset she was with Jack. Phillipa was determined to have a nice evening with Jean-Luc, and perhaps even get him into her bed. She had harboured a crush for the man since she had seen him walking on campus with Jack when they were in their third year, but had never gotten up the nerve to approach him or ask Jack about him. But she had ran into Jack at Command this past year and when she had asked him about his balding friend, Jack had invited her to join them on shore leave.

Over dinner, Phillipa learned that Jean-Luc was also from France, and she immediately switched to speaking French. Jean-Luc had shot Jack an apologetic look before replying to Phillipa, and Beverly occasionally joined in based on the French she had picked up from living with the Picards for nearly seven years. Beverly frowned as she realised she hadn’t been to visit them in a while, and made a note to spend some time there on her next break. Phillipa was surprised to learn Beverly could speak French, and intrigued when the woman said she stayed with Jean-Luc’s family over her breaks from the Academy. As Phillipa watched their interactions, she began to suspect there was something more between them than they were admitting.

At the end of the evening, Jean-Luc offered to walk Phillipa back to her room and once they were in her room she kissed him deeply and reached to untuck his shirt. He returned the kiss, not really thinking about who he was with and soon found himself naked and making love to the other woman. He fell asleep holding Phillipa, but dreaming about Beverly and when they woke in the morning, they made love once more before Jean-Luc slipped out of her room. 

###

“I need to go out and get something, I’ll be back later, alright Bev?” Beverly nodded at Jack, not really paying attention. She saw Jean-Luc leave Phillipa’s room in the morning and she was torn between jealousy and happiness for her...she struggled to think of him as her ex, because she still loved him deeply and still hoped they could somehow get back together. She settled on being happy for him and when they met for Breakfast, she teased him. 

“So, you and Phillipa had a good time last night?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged and poured himself another cup of tea before refilling her own cup. She stared down at it. “Well, do you _like_ her?”

“Sure. I mean, she’s a nice girl.” Jean-Luc wondered if he should be apologizing to her for his dalliance, but then with a frown realised they were no longer together...even if they had never formally ended their relationship.

“Uh-huh. Nice, and _French_.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his friend. “So?”

“I dunno. At least your father will be happy you’re dating a French girl.” Jean-Luc reached across the table for her hand and gave it a squeeze. A jolt went through Beverly when he touched her, and she closed her eyes. “Hey, Papa loves you. You know that. He got over you not being French the minute he met you and you became his _Princesse_.” Beverly blushed and withdrew her hand.

“Jean-Luc...can we do this?” 

“Do what?”

“Be...friends...be the best friends that we were before we...?” Jean-Luc hadn’t moved his hand, so she reached for it again, gently lacing her fingers with his. His hand felt warm and familiar, and not for the first time Beverly began to doubt no longer being with him. If he could forgive her for sleeping with Jack, maybe they could try to make things work once more. 

Jean-Luc smiled at their entwined hands. “I’d like to try...”

“Me too. I can’t imagine my life without Jean-Luc Picard.” He grinned. “And I definitely need Beverly Howard in mine. Besides, my parents would be upset. They love you.” Beverly looked away. 

“I haven’t....I haven’t been to see your parents in over a year. I was...well, I was actually afraid and ashamed to see them.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “You should go. Maman probably misses you.” 

“Yeah. Maybe on my next break.” 

“Just don’t take Jack.” Beverly laughed. “Oh no. Your papa would flip. Especially after the fiasco at our New Year’s party.” 

“Indeed.” He gave her hand a squeeze again.

“Do you want your ring back? I know it was only a promise, but it meant a lot to me...” She looked at their hands. They looked naked without their rings on.

“No, you keep it. I still have mine. I wore it on a chain under my uniform all year thinking about you.”

“Yeah, me too. I...” She trailed off. She wanted to tell him she still loved him, but she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate.

“So we’re ok?”

“Yeah, we’re ok.”

###

Jack asked Beverly to join him for a walk at sunset. They walked out on a pier overlooking the ocean and as the sun slipped beneath the horizon, Jack got down on one knee and asked Beverly to marry him. Beverly had been daydreaming while she watched the sunset, thinking of other sunsets on other piers she had watched with Jean-Luc and hadn’t really been paying attention to her companion at all. Jack slid the ring he had purchased in a tourist shop earlier onto her finger and kissed her. She hadn’t even registered that she had said yes to the man, and later she actually wasn’t sure if she ever _had_. He reached for her hand. “Let’s go tell our friends! Oh, this is wonderful, Beverly!” Beverly could only nod. _What have I done?_

Jack invited everyone to meet for dinner and it was over the desert course that he stood up and tapped the side of his glass. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?”

All eyes turned to Jack except for Beverly’s. She had her eyes glued to Jean-Luc and tried apologising with her eyes. Jack reached for her hand and held it in his as he made the announcement and she watched Jean-Luc’s face go from sadness to feigned happiness for the couple. The implications of the announcement and everything that had happened in the past year suddenly slammed into Beverly and her necklace with the promise ring from Jean-Luc felt heavy under her dress. _Jean-Luc, please say something. Say anything. Object. Pick me up and take me away from here. Please. I love you._ Jean-Luc stayed silent, his objections dying on his lips when he realised all he _really_ wanted was for Beverly to be happy...even if it wasn’t with him.

Phillipa gave Jean-Luc’s hand a squeeze as they were walking back to her room after dinner. “Oh, isn’t it exciting! How romantic to get engaged at sunset on the pier!” Jean-Luc nodded and smiled back, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Phillipa didn’t notice and continued. “You know, I know people don’t believe in love at first sight, but...I love you, Jean-Luc .” 

Jean-Luc suddenly turned towards her and kissed her passionately. She grinned against his lips and pulled him into her room. He practically tore off her clothing on their way to the bed. They made love that night fuelled with passion and a fire that didn’t seem to be consumed. Jean-Luc needed to have release. Needed to feel. Needed...well, he couldn’t _have_ Beverly. Not in that way. Not anymore. Phillipa didn’t even realise she was a stand in for someone else. Jean-Luc prayed she never found out that she was. In two days, he’d be back on his ship and Beverly...he didn’t want to think about that. Instead he fell asleep holding Phillipa and wishing her auburn tresses belonged to Beverly.

Jean-Luc and Phillipa were strolling along the promenade a few nights before Jean-Luc had to return to his ship when Phillipa spotted a jewellery shop and stopped. She looked in the window and excitedly squeezed Jean-Luc’s hand as she pointed to something in the display. “That one. That’s the one I want.”

“For what?” Jean-Luc wasn’t even sure what they were looking at, he hadn’t been focussed much since Jack had announced he and Beverly were getting married and was actually just counting down the days until he could be back on his ship and not have to think about the fact that Beverly was marrying Jack and Jack had the audacity to ask him to stand up with him as his best man and he foolishly had agreed. He had planned this shore leave with Beverly and had been clinging to the hope that she would have agreed with him to get back together, but now all his hopes were dashed. He wasn’t even sure why he was sleeping with Phillipa, other than she kept him distracted from dwelling on his lost love and if he was honest, the sex was pretty good.

“It’s an engagement ring!” He looked in the glass case at the ring she was pointing at. “Oh, that’s pretty.” He started to walk away but she tugged on his hand. “Aren’t you going to buy it?” He looked blankly at her.

“What for?”

“Well, if we’re going to get married...I’m going to need a ring.” She gave Jean-Luc a not subtle look. “Oh. Right. I guess it’s nice.” He followed her inside the shop, and found himself handing over his credit chip to purchase the ring Phillipa had seen. _I suppose in time, I could learn to love her. She’s a nice person....right?_

###

Shore leave was finally over. Jean-Luc and Walker soon had to board the shuttle to take them back to Starbase Thirty-two where their ship would pick them back up and another group of crewmen would get to go on shore leave. Jean-Luc hugged Beverly close, closed his eyes and inhaled her hair one last time, and kissed her cheek tenderly. “Did you and Jack set a date?” She shook her head as she pressed her lips to his cheek. “No, but he wants to get married soon. He wants a short engagement. Possibly as short as four months. What about you and Phil?”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t even know when I’ll be able to take enough leave and I don’t want to miss your big day...have you told your Nana or Maman and Papa yet?” She shook her head. “I suppose I should. Have you told them about...?”

“No. Not yet. I....”

“Yeah.” Beverly looked around and since no one was paying attention to them she leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips making him smile. “Jean-Luc, I...” She trailed off when she heard Phillipa’s voice in the background asking Jean-Luc and Walker to wait for her. Jean-Luc closed his eyes. _Please Bev. Say something. Say it now. Say it now and I’ll break up with Phil right now. Say it now, and I’ll whisk you away. Say that you love me, and you know I’ll say it back._

Phillipa threw her arms around Jean-Luc’s neck while his hands were still on Beverly’s hips and kissed him. “Good news, Darling. I just found out I’m doing my law internship on Starbase Thirty-Two so we can travel back together! Isn’t that fantastic!” Jean-Luc plastered a smile on his face and reluctantly let his hands fall from Beverly’s hips.

“Wonderful. I was just saying goodbye to Beverly...” Phillipa turned around as if she had just noticed the redhead. “Oh. Goodbye, Beverly. It was nice meeting you.” She turned back to Jean-Luc and started discussing wedding details as she pulled him up the gangway, he turned around and gave Beverly a little shrug and a wave. She tried to smile. Words were on her lips – things like ‘don’t go,’ and ‘don’t marry Phil’, and even ‘I still love you’, but the words all died on her lips before she could say them, and tears leaked out of her eyes as she watched Jean-Luc walk away from her seemingly forever.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update because the electric company is fixing our utility pole (someone hit it over a year ago and it's been wonky every since) on the 10th and I will not have electricity all day! Updating now in case they run into issues and power doesn't get restored right away.

“Maman, I have news.” Yvette looked at the image of her son on the screen and smiled at him. _“Jean-Luc, are you finally close to home? Are you coming for a visit?”_

“I’m on Starbase thirty-two. I just got here from shore leave. I’m sorry I didn’t come see you.” Yvette nodded her acceptance. _“Did you see Beverly?”_

“Yes, I did.” 

_“And?”_ Yvette knew they had nearly broken things off before he left, but she also knew how they still felt for one another and had hoped for the two to reconcile. Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, Maman. I’m sorry. Beverly...” He sighed. “Beverly is marrying Jack Crusher.”

 _“Oh.”_ Yvette tried to hide her disappointment. Jean-Luc tried to smile at his mother. “But I have news...I’m getting married too. Her name is Phillipa. She’s a law student...” Yvette’s heart sank. She plastered a smile on her face for her son. _“Congratulations, Jean-Luc. I hope she makes you happy.”_ Yvette peered at her son. It was obvious to her that he in fact _wasn’t_ happy, and she wondered how much his engagement had to do with Beverly’s and she wondered why Beverly would consider marrying someone other than Jean-Luc. She hoped Beverly would call her soon. Jean-Luc sighed. “Thanks, Maman. I....”

 _“I know.”_ Jean-Luc sadly smiled at his mother . “Sorry, Maman. I have to go...my ship will be here soon. I just wanted to let you know about the wedding. I guess I’ll let you know when we set a date.”

_“Alright. We love you, Jean-Luc.”_

“Love you too, Maman. Picard out.” Jean-Luc ended the call with his mother and sighed. It was obvious she had a lot of questions for him, and he wasn’t entirely sure if he was able to answer them. 

###

Yvette sat back and wondered what happened between him and Beverly. Beverly hadn’t been home in over a year, not since Jean-Luc left on his mission and she was worried for her surrogate daughter. Even more worrying was finding out they were getting married _to other people_. Yvette knew they were both in it for the long term back when Jean-Luc was denying them being in a relationship almost seven years prior. She _knew_ he still loved Beverly. She could see it in his eyes when he told her about the upcoming weddings...and she knew he didn’t actually love the woman he was planning on marrying. It was obviously a knee-jerk reaction and she was determined to get to the bottom of things...before her son and her surrogate daughter did something stupid like actually go through with these marriages. She sat in front of the console and composed a short letter.

_My dear Beverly,_

_Jean-Luc tells me you are to be married to Jack Crusher. Congratulations, love. I am surprised, but happy as long as you are. We miss you. Please know that you are still welcome here anytime you want. Your bedroom will always be yours._

_All my love,_

_Maman_

###

Beverly picked up her PADD to check her messages and began to cry when she read the note from Jean-Luc’s mother. How much had she hurt the woman she had come to view as a mother? 

_Maman,_

_I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch recently. I’ve been....busy, I guess. Jack doesn’t want to waste any time and wants to get married in just a few months and I would love for you and Papa to attend. Jack has asked Jean-Luc to be his best man, and I’m going to ask Sora to be my maid of honor._

_I miss you too. Please give my love to Papa, Robert, and Marie._

_Love,_

_Beverly_

When Jack came home from his shift, he didn’t notice Beverly’s red-rimmed eyes. Instead, he began to talk about the wedding. 

“I had a letter from my mother today. She said she’s secured the church in the town for us. It’ll be in January. Isn’t that great?” Beverly smiled. “Yeah. Great.”

“I know it’s less than three months away, but I don’t want to waste anymore time. I want you to be my wife.” Jack leaned over and kissed her. “I guess you and mom will have a lot of work to do!”

“Yeah. Jack...I’m really busy with my studies...I’m not sure if I’ll have time with exams in December. Maybe we should wait a bit longer.” Jack shook his head. “Don’t worry, I told Mom and she said she would be more than happy to organize everything! She even said she would find a dress for you!”

“Dress? Not my dress uniform? I mean, I _am_ a Starfleet officer, too. I have my rank.” Jack ran his hand down her face and cupped her chin. “I know you are, babe. But I want everyone to see my beautiful bride, not a Starfleet officer.” Beverly frowned. “Well, if that’s what you want.” Beverly picked up her PADD and headed back towards the bedrooms. “I need to do some studying.” 

“Ok. Some of the guys are going out tonight for drinks. I thought I’d go too...maybe try to impress my boss.”

“Sure. See you later.” Beverly went into her bedroom and gathered her books and carried them into the room she used to share with Jean-Luc. The projector had been moved back into that room, and Beverly activated it and laid back on the bed. Baby soon came in and headbutted her before settling down. Beverly turned her head to the side. Even after all these months, the pillow still smelled of Jean-Luc. She pushed her nose into the fabric and cried. _What am I doing?_

###

“Jean-Luc! Darling! My mother is over the moon for our engagement. “ Jean-Luc schooled his grimace into a grin as he turned around. “I’ve just told my mother as well. She offers her best wishes to the bride.” Phillipa beamed. “My mother told me that your parents are French royalty? Why didn’t you say anything? Does this make you a prince? Ooh, will I be a princess?” Jean-Luc shook his head.

“We’re not royalty. You of all people should know that that sort of thing ended centuries ago. My parents inherited the title that goes with our land that was given to our ancestors to establish the vineyard. They are the Comte and Comtesse, but hardly ever use their titles. I think it’s on the wine labels, and that’s about it. My older brother likes it though.” 

“Older brother?” Phil frowned. If Jean-Luc had an older brother, she probably would never be royalty.

“Yes, Robert. He’s six years older than me. He and his wife were married a few years ago. They live on the property and Robert helps our father run the vineyard and will take over when Papa retires.” 

“I see. Well, I have a younger sister and an older brother. Lucille is my sister. She’s very excited for the wedding. Garland is my brother. His children will be our flower girl and ring bearer.”

“Flower girl? Ring Bearer? How big of a wedding will this be? I just thought something simple with our family and close friends?”

 _“Non_. My mother started making her guest list. 200 people! Did you tell your mother to make her list?” Jean-Luc stared at his fiancée with his mouth open.

“Err...no?” 

“Better tell her to start. Then we have to look at the lists and remove anyone we don’t want at our wedding....Oh, and we’re getting married in March. My internship will be over and we’ll have plenty of time for a honeymoon before I would start a position anywhere.” Jean-Luc blinked. “March? Isn’t that....soon?”

“It’s not too soon when we’re in love.” Jean-Luc frowned. “I might not be able to get the time off. I’ll be taking time off for Jack and Beverly’s wedding too and I’m only a low grade Lieutenant. You know I don’t have as much leave time as a more senior officer. Couldn’t we wait a year or two?” 

“Jack and Beverly? Why would you attend their wedding?”

“Beverly is my best friend and Jack asked me to be his best man.” Phillipa nodded. “I suppose we could go...use it to see what not to do at a wedding as I’m sure ours will be better.” Jean-Luc shook his head at the absurdity.

“Right. Walker and I have a few things to do before the _Reliant_ gets here. We told Captain Quinn we would pick up the latest starcharts to save some time.” Phillipa frowned.

“Well, alright. But we’ll meet for dinner? And hopefully you’ll have an idea of who you want in the wedding party by then!”

###

“Johnny, what are you doing?” Walker flopped onto the bunk in their shared quarters on Starbase 32. Phillipa had wanted Jean-Luc to stay with her in her new quarters, but he had told her he was unable to since her quarters were a grade above what he was assigned. It was a flimsy excuse, but one she accepted.

“I don’t know what you mean, Wally.” Walker sat up and levelled a gaze at his friend. “With Phil?”

“Er...” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck. “Getting married? In March, by the way. Will you be my best man?” Walker grinned slightly. “You know I will be. Only...Phil? Don’t you think...I mean, it’s very quick, isn’t it?”

“Phil is in love with me.” Walker quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, but are you in love with her?”

“I am....fond of her.” Walker studied Jean-Luc. His eyes showed he was in pain and he shook his head.

“Fond isn’t love. Come on, Johnny. You and Bev. You are the ones who belong together. Not...you and Phil. Or Bev and Jack! Grow a pair and call up Beverly and tell her you still love her and don’t want her to marry Jack!” Jean-Luc looked at the floor and wouldn’t meet his friend’s eyes. “I can’t do that, Wally. If Jack,” Jean-Luc swallowed to keep himself from crying. “If Jack makes Beverly happy, I’m not going to stand in their way.” 

“Sure, but what if he _doesn’t_ make her happy.” 

Jean-Luc had no answer for his friend.

###

Walker stared at the wedding invitation on his screen and checked the chronometer and did some quick calculations. Jean-Luc was sitting the late shift and wouldn’t see his invitation until much later. Jack would still be at work, but he might be able to catch Beverly – _alone._ He called up the flat and was delighted when Beverly answered, though not so delighted in her appearance. 

Beverly was wearing one of Jean-Luc’s old bathrobes and her face was pale. Her long hair hung limp. Beverly looked like anything _but_ an excited bride-to-be. “Beverly, are you alright?”

_“Hi Wally. I’m....I’m fine. Just a little under the weather today. Probably picked up a bug I wasn’t inoculated against at the hospital.”_

“Oh, I hope you feel better soon.”

 _“Thanks.”_ Beverly mustered a smile for her friend. _“If you’re calling for Jack, he’s still at work.”_

Walker grinned. _“_ Nah. I called for you. I got the invitation today.” Beverly’s eyes didn’t meet the screen. _“Oh.”_

“Bev, sweetheart. I need to ask you...for all of our sakes especially yours...do you _really_ want to marry Jack?” 

_“I....”_

“It’s not too late to cancel everything. I know you still must love Jean-Luc.....”

_“He’s marrying Phillipa.”_

“Yes. And you’re marrying Jack and I can’t help but think you two are marrying the wrong people.” Tears filled Beverly’s eyes. _“I...”_

“Just...think about it, alright Bev? I don’t want you _or Jean-Luc_ to make a mistake and be miserable for the rest of your lives.” Beverly nodded at her friend, unable to stop her tears. Walker smiled as he saw the grey tail of Baby as the cat jump into Beverly’s lap to comfort her. “Bev? Love you like a sis.”

 _“Love you like a bro.”_ She managed to get out before she ended the connection. Beverly stroked Baby. 

“Oh Baby, am I doing the right thing? Why am I even marrying Jack? Just because he asked me? Jean-Luc was right there, telling me he wanted to get back together with me and I...I blew it. And now he’s marrying Phil and all because we’re both too stubborn and loyal to tell the people we’re marrying we don’t want to...at least, I assume he doesn’t really want to marry Phil. But...what if he fell in love with her?” Baby meowed and stood on her back legs to lick Beverly’s chin. “Thanks, Baby. I knew I could count on you for advice.” 

###

Jean-Luc groaned when he checked his messages. Another long tirade from his fiancée, complaining about doing all the wedding preparations without him. He couldn’t help it, he was in deep space. What was he supposed to do? It’s not like he cared about the flowers or the program or well, if he was honest, he didn’t really care much about the wedding, either. He just wanted to get it over with. His unit went off with a call, and he answered without checking to see who it was.

_“Darling.”_

“Phil. I just got your letter. Everything alright?”

 _“No. I can’t decide on the flowers and I’m having trouble picking a dress.”_ Jean-Luc frowned. These didn’t seem like a crisis to him, but then again, he wasn’t a bride. “Oh.”

_“And my mother wants to know about the cake!”_

“Well, what about the cake? It’s just...cake, right?” Phil sighed. “ _No, it’s not just cake. It’s tradition to save a layer to have at the baby’s christening.”_

“Baby?”

 _“Well, you know, when we_ do _have a baby. Mother is insisting we need a large cake so we have layers to save for each child, but I only intend on having one.”_ Jean-Luc’s face fell. “One?”

_“Yes. I hated growing up as a middle child and I don’t want to put that burden on ours.”_

“I see.”

_“Why? How many children did you want?”_

“Three,” he said absently, remembering a conversation he and Beverly once had when she told him she envisioned them having three children and he had agreed with her, even though at the time he really didn’t have any idea about babies. But Beverly had been thrilled when he agreed with her, and that had been all that mattered at the time. 

_“Well, I’m not putting my body through pregnancy three times.”_

“Uhm, alright.”

_“And I want to wait until I’m thirty.”_

“Thirty?” Jean-Luc was surprised. He was almost expecting her to want a child right away.

_“Yes. I want to be established in my career so it’s not a knockback when I take time off...and I plan on taking minimal time off. My career means a lot to me.”_

“I see...but what about taking care of the child?”

_“There will be daycare or we can hire a nanny. But it’s not for six years, so there’s plenty of time to plan.”_

“Right.”

The conversation continued, but Jean-Luc barely paid attention to his fiancée, only answering with “Mm-hmms” when he felt it was appropriate. They finally ended the call and he breathed a sigh of relief. _Maybe Walker was right. Maybe I shouldn’t marry Phil._ He wanted to call Beverly and talk to her but the downside of having fallen in love with your best friend was that when you needed to speak to someone you trusted about your love life and it involved them, you couldn’t talk to them about it. Nevertheless, Jean-Luc rang the flat. 

_“Howard here.”_

“Bev, you look....sorry, Sweetheart, but you look terrible, are you alright?” Beverly smiled at Jean-Luc. _“I’m fine. Just..wedding jitters. You know. It’s in six weeks.”_

“I know. Are you ready?”

 _“In a word...no. But, Jack’s mom has been handling a lot of it since we’re getting married up there.”_ She frowned. “Don’t you want to get married there?”

 _“Not really. I always thought....”_ she paused. _“Never mind.”_

“If you’re sure. You know, you _can_ talk to me. I thought I was your best friend?”

 _“You are. I just can’t talk about some things with you, alright?”_ Beverly sighed. She _wanted_ to tell him that she always thought she would get married at his family’s vineyard, but that probably wasn’t appropriate anymore. _“I asked Papa to walk me down the aisle. I hope you aren’t upset with me.”_ Jean-Luc grinned. “Of course not. You’re his _Princesse_.” Beverly grinned back. 

_“Yeah.”_

Jean-Luc heard a cat in the background. “How’s Baby taking the wedding?”

 _“I don’t think she cares. My dress is at Jack’s parent’s house. I won’t have my fitting until just before the wedding. Jack’s mother said she didn’t want Baby to ruin it. As if she would!”_ Jean-Luc smiled at the indignant look on Beverly’s face. _“I’m not allowed to have Baby at the wedding and Jack wants me to get rid of Baby.”_

“What? No!” 

_“Don’t worry, I have no intentions on getting rid of her. Although, she might have to go live at home next year.”_

“Why? You love Baby.” 

_“I do. Best Christmas present I’ve ever received. But I don’t know where I’ll be stationed next year for my residency. If I’m someplace that’s not safe for her.... Hey, do you want to take her for a while?”_ Jean-Luc snorted. “Phil doesn’t like cats.” 

_“I’m sorry.”_

“Me too. But if you can’t take her with you next year, I’m sure Maman would look after her for you.”

_“I hope so. I heard from her the other day.”_

“Oh?”

 _“She’s....happy for me. I think.”_ Jean-Luc smiled. “If you’re happy, Maman’s happy.” Beverly sighed again. _“Yeah....Listen, Jean-Luc, I have to go. Sorry. I have a lab this afternoon and I only came home to pick up my notes.”_

“I understand. I wasn’t thinking about the time when I called. I just wanted to....never mind. I’ll talk to you soon?”

_“Yeah, alright. And I’ll see you in six weeks!”_

“See you in six weeks. Bev, I lo-“ He was cut off before he could finish his sentence. “ _I know. Me too. Gotta go though. Bye!”_

The call ended and Jean-Luc was left more frustrated and confused than he was before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't loose hope for our lovers!!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beverly begins to have doubts about marrying Jack and makes a startling discovery that could affect her and Jean-Luc's future together.

"Yvette, I think I've made a terrible mistake." Beverly accepted the cup of tea from Jean-Luc's mother and headed for her favourite window seat. Her visit had been a surprise to the older woman, but not entirely unexpected with her wedding to Jack Crusher in a few short weeks. Yvette looked at her sympathetically and patted her arm gently before sitting opposite her.  
  
"What happened to calling me Maman? You still can, you know. Even if you’re not my daughter." Beverly studied her cup of tea and couldn’t meet Yvette’s eyes. Beverly softly spoke.  
  
"Even now? Still? After what I did?” Beverly continued to ramble to her surrogate mother. But...he's happy, right? I mean, he proposed to Phil, so he must love her....did he give her the ring?" Beverly smiled wistfully when she remembered the ring Yvette had shown her years ago that she was saving for Jean-Luc. She showed her the ring for Robert, too, which was now gracing Marie's slender finger nestled against a wedding band.   
  
Yvette shook her head. " _Non_. I did not give Jean-Luc my ring for her."   
  
"Oh." Yvette rose and walked over to Beverly to rub her back gently.  
  
"What is this big mistake? Come on, tell Maman all about it." Beverly hesitated. As much as Yvette had become like her mother over the past several years, she was also Jean-Luc's mother. "Before I begin....could you tell me... _is_ Jean-Luc happy?" Yvette sat down on the window seat and Beverly turned towards her. Yvette shook her head.   
  
"I don't know. One minute he's off on a new assignment and the two of you put your relationship on hold, the next he tells us you are marrying Jack Crusher, and then suddenly he's engaged to a law student." Yvette shook her head again. "Is my son happy?" She threw up her hands in exasperation. "But we're not talking about Jean-Luc and Phillipa. We're talking about you. Are _you_ happy, my dear?"  
  
Beverly sighed. "When Jean-Luc was assigned to the _Reliant_ after his accident, I was so proud of him. He recovered from the surgery quickly, adjusted to his new lifestyle much faster than we had anticipated, and he was determined to not let it be the huge setback it could have been....When we decided to sort of, I don’t know. Put a semi colon in our relationship, I didn’t think it would hurt so much. I kissed him goodbye the morning he left our flat for the _Reliant_ with Walker and I told him I would meet him for his first shore leave." Beverly took a sip of her tea and noticed her ring. She scowled at it before continuing.   
  
"I guess I was lonely and missing my..Jean-Luc. Jack and I started spending more time together as the only two left in the flat and we just kind of fell into dating.” Her laugh turned into a frown. “Well, fell into bed is more accurate I suppose. I was upset one night, missing Jean-Luc...I drank too much wine,” Yvette grinned for a minute recalling Beverly’s lack of tolerance for wine, “And then I just...slept with Jack. Let him make love to me and let him slip a ring on my finger when I don’t even know if I love him that much.” She took a deep breath and fingered the chain around her neck with her promise ring.  
  
"Shore leave was a disaster. I hadn't told Jean-Luc about Jack and I being together before shore leave and I really messed things up by kissing him the minute he stepped off the shuttle. I...Maman, please don't be mad at me."  
  
"Never, my dear."  
  
"I slept with Jean-Luc. Yes, while I was supposedly with Jack... I'm not pleased with my actions. And then somehow during the week we were there, Jack bought a cheap ring in a junk shop and asked me to marry him right there on the beach. What was I going to say? No? And then Jack introduced Jean-Luc to his friend Phillipa the night before Jack decided to announce our engagement and....” She rested her head in her hands. "I've made a mess."  
  
"Messes can be cleaned up."  
  
"Can they, Maman? Jean-Luc is marrying Phil! In March!" Beverly’s voice rose with each exclamation.  
  
"Yes, but aren't you marrying Jack in a few weeks? Isn't that what my invitation says?" Beverly looked at her hands again.  
  
"I...."  
  
"Beverly, do you love Jack?"  
  
"No," she whispered. "He was...a distraction. Maybe I was trying to convince myself I didn't....but I do...and he's....oh!" Beverly began to cry and Yvette pulled her into her arms and tried to sooth her. "Beverly, my dear. I think you need to have a conversation with Jean-Luc. But maybe after you talk to Jack."  
  
"I don't know if I can. I can't just ruin lives like that. I can’t break it off with Jack...and what about Jean-Luc? And Phil? What if I ruin their lives too? What if Jean-Luc doesn’t feel that way anymore....but then, of course he does, doesn’t he? But then why is he....” Beverly trailed off again and sighed. Yvette tssked at the young woman she viewed as a daughter.  
  
"So you'll ruin your own instead? Think about it. You are allowed to be selfish and do what _Beverly_ wants. Not what Jack wants, not what you think Jean-Luc wants or even what you think that I want you to do...but what does _Beverly_ want?" Yvette dropped a kiss on Beverly’s head. “And as much as I would love to see you and Jean-Luc finally admit that you’re still in love with each other, I want you to know that this will always be your home, regardless.” Beverly smiled at the older woman and watched her leave the conservatory. Beverly continued to sit in the window seat and spun her ring around her finger while she thought about nothing in particular. Beverly clutched at her stomach. It had been rolling for weeks as the pit of dread surrounding her upcoming nuptials to Jack took hold. She rose from the window seat and went into the kitchen to rummage in Yvette’s cupboard for the peppermint leaves she had dried the previous summer. She hoped the peppermint would calm her stomach. She knew what she had to do. She just needed the strength to do it. 

###

A week went by, and Beverly ignored her communicator every time it went off. She had checked her messages and found a half a dozen from Jack wanting to know where she had gone. She had already arranged for her leave for her wedding, and had asked her advisor for some time off before – ostensibly for her to perform wedding prep – so she knew her place in the medical school was safe. Her wedding to Jack Crusher was in one week. Could she do it? Could she marry a man she actually wasn’t in love with for the sake of not ruining the life of the man she was in love with? Or would her marrying Jack ruin Jean-Luc’s life anyway? And did he love her? Or the woman he was engaged to? Had he jumped on getting engaged simply because _she_ had, or was that being entirely too self-centered of herself? 

No one knew except for the Picard family minus Jean-Luc that Beverly was holed up at the home in La Barre, alternating between sleeping on Jean-Luc’s bed clutching his pillow while she cried herself to sleep watching the stars on the ceiling or she sat staring out from the window seat in the conservatory playing with her necklace. Not even the ever constant presence of the grey cat who had decided Beverly belonged to her when she was a kitten was able to lift the feeling of dread that had settled in Beverly as her wedding date to Jack drew closer and closer. 

Beverly’s stomach wasn’t helping. It had graduated from nausea to full blown vomiting and she cursed each morning. She knew it had to be nerves and feeling unsettled about marrying Jack, but when the peppermint tea stopped working and the switch to ginger didn’t help either, Beverly decided she should use her Tricorder just in case she was ill. She wouldn’t want to pass on any type of flu to any of the Picards...and if she was _really_ ill, she would have a legitimate excuse to at least postpone the wedding. 

Beverly stared at the readings on her Tricorder and ran them three more times to be sure. _Merde_. _This complicates things just a little bit.....But....._ Beverly refused to finish her thought.

###

 _“Lieutenant Picard, you have an incoming transmission from Starbase Thirty-Two.”_ Jean-Luc sighed. His fiancée seemed to call him daily with some new crisis involving their wedding. Yesterday, it had been the flower girl and the ring bearer – the niece and nephew of Phillipa – fighting as siblings tend to do. The day before it had been a problem with the type of flower she wanted not being in bloom at that time of year on Earth. Jean-Luc grumbled. “I’m a bit busy, Ensign. Is it Lieutenant Louvois?”

 _“Yes, sir. She said it was important.”_ Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “It’s _always_ important. I’m in Stellar Cartography right now helping them with an issue. Put her through.” 

_“Aye.”_ Jean-Luc closed his eyes for a moment to let his annoyance at the woman he was supposed to be marrying leave before he plastered a smile on his face for his fiancée. “Phil, darling, are you alright?”

Phillipa Louvois smiled back at her fiancé. “ _Jean-Luc, we have a problem.”_ Jean-Luc tried not to roll his eyes. “What is it, dearest?” 

_“I don’t think we can have the church in my village. We’ll have to get married in yours.”_ Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “You want to get married in La Barre?” 

_“Well, at least then I’d finally be able to_ see _where my husband grew up since you won’t take me there. I haven’t even met your mother yet!”_ Jean-Luc frowned. “She’ll be at Beverly and Jack’s wedding. You’ll meet her then.” Phillipa’s eyes narrowed. _“Why is your mother attending their wedding?”_

“Beverly invited her. You know Beverly stayed with us after we took our entrance exams for the academy and she couldn’t get a shuttle back to Caldos.”

 _“Hmm.”_ What Jean-Luc had so far managed to avoid telling his fiancée was the rest of the details surrounding her stay and their years at the academy together. Jack had surprisingly been tight-lipped about it, too. “Look, their wedding is in two weeks. You can meet Maman there and we can talk about where to hold our wedding, but darling, I’m a little busy right now. I can’t field a call from you every day.” 

_“Fine. I’ll see you at Jack and Beverly’s wedding. Louvois out.”_ The screen faded and Jean-Luc let out his pent-up sigh of relief. He _did_ love the woman...right? His project was forgotten while he dialled in the old familiar number of his former flat near Headquarters.

“ _Johnny?”_

“Hey, Jack.” Jean-Luc was disappointed. He had hoped to catch Beverly alone. “Jack, is Beverly around? I need to ask her something.”

_“Sorry, Johnny. Haven’t seen her.”_

“You _live_ with her. You’re getting married soon. What do you mean you haven’t seen her?”

 _“I mean that our wedding is in ten days and I haven’t seen her or that cat of hers in a week and a half. She hasn’t answered my messages, but I know she’s not at the hospital because I already spoke with them and they said she asked for extra leave before the wedding. So....I guess she’s doing bride stuff. Hey, maybe it’s a surprise for me!”_ Jean-Luc sent a wry smile at his friend. “Maybe.”

 _“I’m sorry she’s not here. Can I help?”_ Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, buddy. But thanks. I’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner. Picard out.”

Jean-Luc wondered where Beverly was, but he decided he wouldn’t try to track her down. If she was having some time to herself before she was tied to Jack Crusher forever, far be it for him to begrudge her. He wondered what she saw in the man, and then with a start, realised the same could be said about him and Phil. He rose from the desk. His shift was almost over. Maybe he could catch Walker and a few others for a game. He needed the distraction.

###

Beverly threw her tricorder on the floor, where it clattered, scaring the cat. “Sorry, Baby,” Beverly picked up the cat and cuddled it close. “Looks like you aren’t going to be the only Baby around.” She slid to the floor. _What am I going to do now?_

Yvette found her young friend slumped against the wall in her son’s room with the blanket from his bed cocooned around her, a grey cat in her lap, and stars whizzing past on the ceiling above. Beverly was sleeping, but there was a tricorder on the floor near the girl and Yvette bent to pick it up. She gasped when she looked at the readout. She might not have gone into medicine or science, but she knew what the readout meant. She briefly wondered if the child was Jack’s or her own son’s, then dismissed it. Of course it would probably be Jack’s baby...this was going to complicate things. 

Yvette gently nudged Beverly. “Beverly? Why don’t we get you in bed. You’ll be more comfortable.”

“Baby.”

“She’s right here next to you. I bet she hasn’t left your side.” 

“No, baby....I...I’m going to have one.” 

“I know sweetheart. And I’m delighted to become a grandmere.” Beverly smiled at the older woman. “It’s Jack’s. Uhm. Maybe. It might be Jean-Luc’s? I don’t know.”

“I know, _Cherie_.” Yvette smoothed down Beverly’s hair. “You have some big decisions to make. What can I do to help?” 

“I don’t know. I....Maman, do I keep it?” Yvette’s heart broke for the young woman who even needed to think about it. Yvette cleared her throat before answering. “I can’t answer that for you. Only you can make that decision. You don’t have to stay with the baby’s father if the baby is Jack’s. You can raise him or her on your own or with Jean-Luc. In fact, if I know my son as well as I do, he’ll love your child as if it were his own. I know I already do, because I love you, Beverly.” 

“You think Jean-Luc still loves me like that?” Yvette nodded. “I’m positive, darling.” 

“I...I love him too. But...he’s marrying Phil...” Yvette struggled not to roll her eyes. They had been through this discussion many times in the past week and if only Beverly would actually call and talk to her son, they could finally resolve everything.

“For now. I told you I think you should talk to him.” Beverly closed her eyes. “Soon, Maman.” Beverly let Yvette tuck her into Jean-Luc’s bed. “Maman, will you hold me? I need....I need my mother to comfort me. Please?”

“Of course, my darling.” Yvette wrapped Beverly in a motherly embrace and Beverly rested her head against Yvette’s breast and began to cry. Yvette slowly rocked back and forth, rubbing Beverly’s back as she used to do with her sons when they were smaller. Beverly lifted the silver chain out of her shirt and rubbed the ring between her fingers, her engagement ring to Jack laying abandoned on the bedside table.

###

“Jack.” Beverly stared at the image of her fiancé on the screen. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her face pale, but he hadn’t noticed.

_“Bev. Babe. Where are you?”_

“I’m...someplace,” Beverly decided to keep it vague. She didn’t want him storming the Picard’s home. “We need to talk.”

_“I should think so. The wedding is in five days. My mother is going absolutely mad. When will you get here?”_

“I...ah....I’m not.” 

_“What do you mean, you’re_ not _?”_ Jack stared incredulously at his fiancée.

“I don’t....I don’t think we should get married,” Beverly spoke quietly and looked down at her hands. “I don’t...I’m not in love with you, Jack.”

_“I see. And you decided five days before the wedding was a good time to tell me?”_

“I’m sorry. I just....I can’t go through with it.” 

_“Is there someone else?”_

“No. Well, yes....sort of...” Jack’s eyes narrowed. _“Who? Is it Johnny?”_

“I’m pregnant.” Beverly blurted out the words, then inwardly cringed.

_“Pregnant?”_

“Yes.” Jack’s glare intensified. _“Who’s the father?”_

“Uhm...well, I think we can probably assume _you_ are.”

“ _Are you sure its not Johnny?”_ Beverly hedged. _“I see. But, you don’t want to marry me?”_ Beverly shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jack. If you don’t want to be in our lives, that’s fine, but...I can’t marry you. I’ll...I’ll let the guests know. You don’t have to do anything.” 

_“Fine. This works out for me. I’ve been offered a position on the_ Rutland _. I was to ship out three days after the wedding.”_

“And you were going to tell me....when?” 

_“Ah....”_

“Yeah. Good-bye, Jack. “ Beverly ended the transmission and sat in front of the console before she keyed in the message that would go out to all of the guests.

_We regret to inform you that the wedding between Ensign Jack Crusher and Ensign Beverly Howard has been cancelled._

###

Phillipa read the message with raised eyebrows. _They seemed so happy. I wonder what happened? Never mind. I guess I’ll have to go introduce myself to Comtesse Picard on my own..._ Phillipa made arrangements to take some leave and visit La Barre the following day and hoped her future mother-in-law wouldn’t be too surprised by her showing up. 

Halfway across the galaxy, Jean-Luc read the message and his heart raced. _Cancelled? I wonder who cancelled it. Should I call either of them?_ Walker walked into the quarters he shared with his friend, holding his PADD .”Jean-Luc, have you seen this?”

“I just read it, Wal. What do you think happened?” Walker shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Hey, we still have shore leave scheduled though. Where should we go now?” 

“I think I’ll go home. See my parents.” Walker raised an eyebrow. “Not to see your lovely fiancée?” 

“Ah, no. I mean, I will probably see her at some point since she took a few days of leave for the wedding, but...” 

“Trouble in paradise?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at his best friend.

“Something like that.”

“Must be something in the water. Hey, do you think we should call Jack or Bev?” Jean-Luc frowned. “I talked to Jack yesterday. He didn’t know where Beverly went. I’m guessing she left so she could think and she’s the one who broke it off.” 

“Do you know where she went?”

“I have an idea.” Walker eyed his friend and then his face lit up as realisation dawned on him. “She’s in France, isn’t she?” 

“It’s a possibility, yes.” Jean-Luc kept his face neutral. 

“That’s why you’re going to go there. You’re going to go talk to her. Are you...” Walker trailed off and slapped Jean-Luc on the arm. “You’re going to tell her how you still feel, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Walker rolled his eyes. “You do. But fine, be in denial. I expect an invitation to the wedding.” 

“My wedding to Phillipa is in March. You’re the best man. You already _have_ an invitation.” Walker smirked. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” 

###

Phillipa Louvois straightened her dress, smoothed down her hair, and rapped on the door of the large home belonging to the Picard family. She had known her soon-to-be husband’s family were vintners, but she hadn’t known just how well off they were. She smiled smugly to herself. She had made the right decision in pursuing Jean-Luc.

A young woman answered the door. “Hello. May I help you?” 

“I’m looking for Comtesse Picard?” 

“Which one?”

“Er...there’s more than one?” The other woman smiled. “Yes. My mother-in-law and I are both Comtesse. It’s a hereditary title that everyone in the family gets to use.” Phillipa’s eyes widened. She assumed she and Jean-Luc would never become titled as titles usually passed to the eldest.

“My name is Phillipa Louvois. I’m...”

“Oh! You must be Jean-Luc’s fiancée! I’m Marie, Robert’s wife. Have you come to see Beverly? She’s in the conservatory.”

“Beverly? Beverly Howard is _here_?” Phillipa stared incredulously at the other woman. “Well...yes. She lives here.”

“I see.” 

“Would you like me to take you to her?” 

“Sure, I guess.” Marie smiled. She had no idea what was going on, only that Beverly had ended her engagement and was pregnant. Marie secretly hoped this would prompt Jean-Luc to break things off with his fiancée as she felt Jean-Luc and Beverly had always belonged together, but for now, she would be nice to the woman. “Are you planning on staying here?”

“Yes, if that’s alright. I assume I can sleep in Jean-Luc’s bedroom?” 

“Ah...well...”

“What.”

“Beverly has been using Jean-Luc’s bedroom.” Phillipa pursed her lips. “I see. I thought you said she lived here?”

“She does.”

“So, wouldn’t she have her own room?”

“Yes, she does, but she’s been staying in Jean-Luc’s.” Phillipa’s eyes narrowed. “I see. Yes, please take me to Beverly. I had come to meet my future mother-in-law, but I think I need to speak with my husband’s _friend_.” Marie nodded and indicated for Phillipa to follow her through the large house and into a conservatory.

“Bev? Someone is here to see you.” 

“Who? Not Jack, is it? No one knows I’m here.”

“I know. I certainly didn’t expect to see you here when I came to meet my mother-in-law.” Beverly looked up in surprise. “Phil? What are you doing here?”

“Really, I could ask you the same.” Phillipa strode over to a chair and sat down, regally. Marie eyed her dubiously. “Bev, do you want me to get you another cup of tea?”

“Marie, you _know_ you don’t have to wait on me. I am capable of getting my own tea.” Beverly smiled at her friend. “I know, but I thought I would offer.”

“Alright then. Another cup of ginger tea, please.” 

“Still feeling nausea?” Beverly grimaced. “Yeah. At least I know now that it’s morning sickness and nothing more serious.” 

“ _Morning sickness_? Are you pregnant?” Phillipa looked at her husband’s friend with shock. “Yes, I am. About twelve weeks along, I think.”

“Is it Jack’s?” Beverly made a non-committal noise. 

“So then, why aren’t you marrying him?” 

“Because I don’t love him.”

“I see.” An older woman came into the conservatory, carrying a tray. “Beverly, Marie tells me you have a visitor? Will they be staying for supper?” 

“Ah, actually, Maman, I think she’s here to see you.” _Maman?_ Phillipa’s eyebrows rose. Why was Beverly calling Jean-Luc’s mother maman?

“Oh?” 

“Maman, I’d like you to meet Phillipa Louvios. She’s Jean-Luc’s fiancée.” 

“Ah, Phillipa! Lovely to finally meet you.” Yvette greeted Phillipa with a traditional cheek kiss. “Yes, you too. I don’t know _why_ Jean-Luc hadn’t brought me here before. Your home is lovely.”

“Thank you, dear.” Yvette looked up when he husband entered the conservatory. “I took off my boots, woman!” Beverly giggled. Maurice strode over to her. “And how is my _Princesse_ today and my grand bebe?” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then scratched the cat sitting on the cushion besides her under her chin. Beverly blushed. “We’re fine. Thank you, Papa.” Maurice grinned. He had always wanted a daughter, but he and Yvette had not been blessed with a third child. When Beverly entered their life he had welcomed her with open arms. He didn’t pretend to understand why they had broken things off and then decided to marry other people, but that was for the two of them to sort. He peered at the other red-headed woman on the settee. “Who’s your friend?”

“Maurice, this is Phillipa Luvois. She’s Jean-Luc’s _fiancée_.” Yvette motioned to the other young woman in the room. “Phillipa, this old grumpy man is Jean-Luc’s father, Maurice.” 

“Oh, hello. I assume you’re here to spend some time with our _princesse_ over here. I’ll leave you ladies to it.” Beverly blushed as the man left. It was one thing for him to use his terms of endearment around the family, but another thing to use it in front of a stranger. Still, Beverly supposed Phil Louvois was basically family if Jean-Luc was still going to marry her.

Phillipa, for her part, was speechless. The burly man that Jean-Luc told her was such a hardass just walked into the room and was as soft as a kitten around Beverly! And _Princess_ and _Grand bebe_?! Was Beverly’s child Jean-Luc’s? Had he cheated on her? But when? She knew his entire schedule and if Beverly wasn’t far along....maybe that’s why she called off the wedding. She knew something had happened when they were on shore leave. Was this why Jean-Luc hadn’t visited her at Starbase 32? _Was he having an affair with Beverly?_ Phillipa glared over at Beverly who was now allowing Yvette to place a blanket across her lap, which a grey cat promptly climbed on top of. _What is so special about Beverly Howard?_


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean-Luc goes home, but who does he stay with?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter we've all been waiting for!

Jean-Luc stumbled up the stairs to his childhood bedroom. It had taken him hours to work out transportation back home earlier than he had originally planned and he wound up borrowing a shuttle from the _Stargazer_ and piloting the shuttle home himself. He was now exhausted after finally finding a suitable location to land and store the shuttle for the two weeks since he knew his father wouldn’t appreciate the shuttle parked on his property. He hadn’t even bothered sending his parents a message to let them know he was on his way, figuring he’d surprise them in the morning. He paused in his bedroom door and smiled when he saw the person shaped lump sleeping under his covers, the moonlight from his window giving her hair a slight shine. “Beverly,” he breathed out softly. 

He dropped his bag by the door and took off his clothes, crawling into the bed on the empty side clad in his boxers. He pulled her towards him and kissed the back of her neck. “Beverly,” he softly spoke not wanting to wake her but needing to speak to her, “I’m so glad you came home. I love you.” He fell asleep immediately with his arms wrapped around his lover. 

###

Jean-Luc caressed the other person in bed as he slowly woke up. “Bev...I’m so glad you aren’t marrying Jack.” He slid his hands along her hips and when she didn’t protest, he slid his hand under her camisole and smoothed his hand over her stomach. _Oh my God. He knows about the baby._ Jean-Luc’s hand slipped higher and he squeezed her breasts before he fell back asleep. 

By the time Jean-Luc woke up once more, his hands had moved to clasp his partner around her waist with his face pressed into her neck. He gently nibbled on it. “Wake up, sweetheart. We need to talk.” 

“We sure do, _Sweetheart_ ,” Phillipa hissed. Jean-Luc’s eyes flew open. “Phil! Darling, I wasn’t expecting you here.”

“Clearly.” Phillipa rolled over and glared at Jean-Luc. 

“Darling, it’s so good to see you.” Jean-Luc leaned in to kiss her and Phillipa pushed him aside. “Knock it off. You called me _Beverly_ multiple times last night in your sleep while you felt me up. I bet that erection you had isn’t for me, it’s for _her_.”

“I..I _did?_ Darling, you have to understand, Beverly and I....”

“Hmm? Beverly and you _what_?” Phillipa rose from the bed and angrily paced around the room. “She’s not actually ‘like a sister’ to you and you sleep practically naked with her on a regular basis? You’ve been having sex with her the entire time we’ve been together? She’s called off her wedding because she is in love with you? Oh no, wait, what else could you _possibly_ tell me. Oh, I know. How about how _BEVERLY IS HAVING **YOUR** BABY_?!” Phillipa’s voice became shrill as she yelled at him. 

Jean-Luc could only stare at his fiancée, open mouthed. _Baby? Where did that idea come from?_ “Beverly and I aren’t having a baby,” he slowly said. Phillipa’s glare intensified.

“No? So then why are your parents referring to her child as their grandchild, Hmmm?” Jean-Luc let out a small gasp.

“Beverly....Beverly is pregnant?” He spoke softly, in awe. Jean-Luc rose from the bed and threw his dressing gown on and strode towards the door. Phillipa reached out for his arm, but he shook her off. “Where are you going? I’m not done with you, mister!” 

“No, I think we are. Please pack up your things and go.” Jean-Luc heard the ping of a ring as it hit the closed door behind him.

Jean-Luc paused outside Beverly’s bedroom door. _Pregnant? Was Phil right? Is the baby...is it mine?_ He gently pushed the door open, smiled when he saw his star projector showing the good old milky way, and softly spoke. “Bev? Sweetheart? Are you asleep?”

“Not anymore,” she grumbled and sat up in bed, dislodging the cat. Baby jumped off the bed and wound her way around Jean-Luc’s ankles and he grinned. _Should have known that wasn’t Beverly in my bed. Baby wasn’t there._ “Jean-Luc? What are you doing here?” She peeled back the corner of her bed for him to climb in and he shed his dressing gown before he crawled into the bed and gathered her in his arms. He pressed his face into her hair and his hands went to circle her waist. “I could ask you the same thing. You broke up with Jack?” Beverly turned in his arms to face him.

“ I...I don’t love him. I never did.” Beverly saw Jean-Luc barely suppress a grin as he leaned in to kiss her softly. He spoke against her lips. “I broke it off with Phil.” Beverly’s eyes went wide. “You...you did? When?” He leaned back and grinned sheepishly at his girlfriend. Former girlfriend? Jean-Luc wasn’t entirely sure.

“Uh...Just now. She was in my bed and I thought she was you and I...well, never mind. We can talk about it later.” Beverly giggled. “I was sleeping in your bed until Phil arrived two days ago. I needed...”

“Yes?”

“I needed _you_.” He pecked her lips gently. “I’m here now.” 

Beverly rested her head on Jean-Luc’s shoulder and twined their fingers together. “Did Phil tell you?” he nodded. 

“Oh,” she said flatly.

“Yeah,” Jean-Luc brought his free hand down to her stomach and rested it there. “Is it mine?”

“I don’t know, I hope so...but I’m worried it might be Jack’s.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’m such a whore.”

“Shhh, you’re not a whore. I won’t have anyone talking like that to the mother of my baby.” Beverly cracked a smile. “Your parents are calling it their grandchild regardless.”

“I figured. Does Maman know it might be mine?” Beverly nodded. “Papa doesn’t.” 

“Probably for the best.” Beverly snorted.

“Well, I know of two weddings that are fully planned and there for the taking if he finds out.” Jean-Luc laughed with her, but his face became sober and he reached for her hand once more. “Marry me?”

“Uhm...what?”

“I don’t care if the baby is mine or not. Marry me.” 

“Isn’t this a little sudden? Besides, you don’t even have a ring, and I’m _not_ wearing Phil’s reject.” He grinned and moved to leave the bed. “I’ll get the ring from Maman for you.” Beverly tugged him back onto the bed.

“Jean-Luc...no. Ah...you’re not talking sense. You’re asking me to marry you because we both just broke up with our partners and I’m pregnant. Give it....give _me_ time.” He sadly nodded and pressed a kiss to her lips. 

They heard a gasp coming from the open door. “I _knew_ it! I KNEW YOU SLEPT WITH HER!” Phillipa stormed into the room and began hitting Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc was doing his best to shield Beverly from getting any of the blows. “YOU. YOU YOU....BASTARD!” Phillipa turned her eyes onto Beverly. “And _you!_ Pretending to be my friend, offering to be my maid of honor and the _whole time you knew you had him in your clutches!”_ Phillipa grabbed onto a chunk of Beverly’s hair and pulled. “Ow!” 

“Phil, let go of Beverly. Be angry at me, fine. I broke it off with you. But it’s not Beverly’ fault.” Jean-Luc reached for Phillipa’s hands and she responded by slapping Beverly across the face. Jean-Luc was not a violent man, and the last time Beverly had ever seen him angry was with Marsden back when they were first year cadets, but his eyes blazed with anger. He caught Phillipa by the waist and lifted her up in his arms. He was only in his boxers, but he didn’t care. He threw Phillipa over his shoulder.

“Bev, can you get Phil’s bag for her? She’s leaving. Now.” Beverly nodded and dashed out the room with Baby trotting behind. Phillipa landed punches and smacks on Jean-Luc’s back and backside as he carried her down the stairs and deposited her outside on the front porch. Beverly sat her suitcase down next to her.

“Phillipa. Please leave. You are not welcome in my house.”

“Fine!” Phillipa picked up her bag and stalked off. Beverly started giggling. “What?”

“You’re in your underwear. You just stood there and ordered Phil to leave practically naked.” She pulled off his dressing gown she had shoved on top of her pyjamas and passed it to him while still laughing. He cracked a grin. “I guess it was kind of amusing.” She glanced at his neck and saw he was still wearing the chain with the promise ring, even while he had been engaged to Phillipa and her heart sped up. 

Robert came trotting in from the vines. “What was all that racket?” 

“Nothing, Robert.”

“Hey, Jean-Luc. When did you get here?” Robert grinned at his younger brother and saw the way he had a protective arm around Beverly. “Late last night...it’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.” Robert squinted at the horizon, where he could barely make out the outline of a person walking away from the vineyard.

“Hmm. Is that your fiancée I see walking down the path?” Jean-Luc grunted. “Ex fiancée.” Robert grinned. “I see. So _you_ broke up with Phil, and _you_ ,” he turned to Beverly, “Broke up with Jack.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the couple. “Anything you two would like to share?”

“No. Don’t you have some work to do?” 

“Nah,” Robert grinned. “More fun to tease you. So what happened? Phil find you in the wrong bed this morning?” 

“Er...” Robert’s grin became wider.

“Oh my God, she did.” Jean-Luc cringed. “Not exactly. I was in the right bed....I just...thought Phil was Beverly and uh...” Robert held up his hand. “I don’t want to know. How long are you staying?” Jean-Luc looked at Beverly. “Well, I originally had off two weeks for the wedding. I added a few days to come home early so I guess I have just over two weeks?”

“I do too. I still have my original leave for the wedding.” 

“Great. I better get back to the vines. I’ll tell Papa you’re here.” 

“Beverly, dear, I heard yelling. Are you alright?” Yvette came up from the root cellar with a basket full of vegetables.

“Everything is fine, Maman.” Yvette put her basket down and went to embrace her son. “Jean-Luc! When did you get here?”

“Last night...I think I got into La Barre around two in the morning? I walked home and just collapsed in bed.” Yvette raised her eyebrows and Beverly grinned back.

“Where’s your darling Phillipa? I must say, Jean-Luc. She is...well, I’m not sure I have the words to describe her, but if you love her....” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, Maman. I broke it off with her. That was the yelling you heard. I, ah...I called her Beverly when I got into bed last night and again this morning.”

“I see. Well, I’m not going to tell you I am disappointed, because I am not. And I am glad to have you home, even if it’s only for a little while. Go get yourself dressed. I’ll make you both some breakfast.” Baby perked up at the word ‘breakfast’ and Yvette chuckled. “You too, Baby. Go on into the pantry.” Jean-Luc dropped a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Thanks Maman. And...thanks for not asking any questions."

“You’ll tell me when you’re ready. Now go get dressed, the both of you.” 

Beverly pulled Jean-Luc into her bedroom and closed the door. She tugged at the belt on his dressing gown, pushing it to the floor, and tugged down his shorts. Jean-Luc grinned and reached for her hands. “What are you doing?”

“Checking you for any marks from that witch!” He smirked. “Is that all?”

“No,” she cheekily responded. “I just like it when you’re naked.” She smoothed a hand across his backside and he shivered. “No marks. Does anything hurt?”

“No. That was nice.” Beverly grinned and bent down and pressed her lips to his bottom. “Just in case it hurts later.”

“Beverly, I lo....”

“Shh,” she placed a finger against his lips. “Don’t say it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it will change everything.” Jean-Luc grasped her hands again. “Beverly, everything already has changed. You’re having my baby...”Beverly lowered her eyes and whispered. “What if it’s not?”

“Then it’s ok,” he lifted her chin. “I’ll still love him or her and I’ll still love his mother.”

“Oh,” Beverly’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It’s the hormones. I’ve been crying at the dumbest things lately.” 

“It’s alright. I’m going to go take a shower and get dressed. After breakfast, would you like to come with me out to the loft? We can play with the kittens in our spot and talk.” He brushed her hair back and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She nodded. “Ok.” 

Beverly took a quick shower, all the while thinking about Jean-Luc, the baby, and her predicament. She and Jean-Luc had only slept together the one time on his shore leave, but she tried to remember how many times she and Jack might have. She didn’t think it had been many times after they were engaged because she had been pulling long hours in the library studying, and then she had begun to feel ill. She smiled to herself as she put on a sundress. _Maybe the baby is Jean-Luc’s. That would make everything easier._ Jean-Luc was still getting dressed when Beverly joined Yvette in the kitchen and the older woman wrapped her arms around the younger woman. “Ah, my Beverly. Such excitement for you and our little one this morning.”

“We’re fine, Maman.”

“I know you are. You’re carrying a Picard, they’re strong.” Beverly blushed. “It _might_ be a Crusher...”

“Perhaps, but they will still be a Picard, _non_? Jean-Luc loves you very much, and you told me you loved him.” 

“It’s probably more complicated than that...” 

“Hmm.” Yvette turned back to the stove. “Decaf coffee for you, my dear?” Beverly made a face. “I can have one cup of regular coffee. Please, Maman. I think I need it today.” 

“You’re the one in training to be a doctor. Speaking of...did you want to go see Doctor Keats and have her perform a scan for you so we can finally see our little bébé?” Beverly nodded. “And...uhm....a _paternity test_ ,” she whispered. Yvette nodded. “I’m sure Jean-Luc will accompany you to the appointment. I’ll call her office for you this morning to set it up.” 

Jean-Luc came in the backdoor. “What were you doing out there?”

“Just turned on the heaters in the loft since it’s a little chilly out there. Maman, do you have a few empty flasks?” 

“Under the sink, dear. Why?” Jean-Luc began rummaging in the cupboard and came out with two flasks.

“Beverly and I are going to go talk up in our loft and play with the kittens. Thought we might want some refreshments.” Yvette took the flasks from her son. “I’ll put something together for you and bring it to you with some lunch.” 

_“Maman_. I am perfectly capable of making flasks of tea and a few sandwiches.” Yvette grinned at her son. “Yes, I know. Just let your mother do this for you. Beverly, I assume you want ginger tea?” Jean-Luc merely rolled his eyes and took the offered cup of coffee and sat down at the table to eat his breakfast.

“Yes, please.” 

“Why ginger?”

“I’ve been experiencing a lot of nausea lately. Ginger tea helps.” Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. He had a _lot_ to learn about pregnancy if he wanted to be with Beverly. “Oh. Are you alright now?” She nodded. “For the moment.”

“Good.” 

The two ate the breakfast Yvette put in front of them and then she shooed them out. “I’ll call out loudly when I arrive with your lunch.” Beverly blushed and Jean-Luc shook his head. “Ok, Maman. See you later.” 

Once up in the loft, Beverly gasped. Jean-Luc hadn’t just brought up a portable heater, he had remade the make-shift bed, propped some pillows up against a few hay bales, and turned on the fairy lights. “Just like old times,” she murmured and set Baby down to go play with the other cats. Jean-Luc grinned. “Just wanted you and the baby to be comfortable.”

“Thanks.” Beverly sunk onto the bed and a kitten immediately crawled into her lap. She laughed. “Maybe Baby needs a kitten companion. What do you think?” Jean-Luc chuckled.

“I think you’ll have our flat overrun with cats and kittens if I let you.” 

“Our flat, is it?”

“Well...I assume Jack will be moving out of it since you broke things off with him. So it’s just you, me, and Walker when he’s around....we can turn Jack’s room into a nursery for the baby.”

“You’ve already thought about that?” Beverly dropped a kiss on the calico kitten’s head and another kitten climbed her shoulder. “Sure,” Jean-Luc said, gently running a finger down her face. “I mean...if you _want_ to live there.”

“I was offered an internship on Delos Four next year. I’ll have to see if they will hold it while I take maternity leave and find out what the child care facilities are like.” Jean-Luc nodded and twined his fingers in her free hand. “I could try to get posted out there too, if you’d like.”

“Oh, no. I don’t want you to sacrifice your career for us. You stay on your ship. We’ll...we’ll manage.” 

“I’ll come you to every chance I get.” Beverly smiled. “I’d like that. _We’d_ like that. Gosh, it’s hard thinking of myself in the plural now, but I guess from now on...I’m not _just Beverly._..”

“Oh, Bev. You have always been more than _just Beverly_ to me.” He took the kitten gently from Beverly’s lap and laid her down on the blanket. He kissed her neck and she mimicked the kitten’s purr. 

Her dress and his shirt were soon flung to one side and Beverly was working on the button on Jean-Luc’s trousers when Yvette’s voice rang out. “Beverly, dear? Jean-Luc? I have your lunch for you....” 

Beverly laughed when Jean-Luc rolled off of her and groaned. He passed Beverly her dress and hastily shoved back on his shirt. “It’s safe to come up, Maman.” 

Yvette climbed up the ladder with a basket on her arm and she handed it to Jean-Luc. “You have hay in your hair, dear,” she said, plucking a piece of hay out of Beverly’s hair. “And Jean-Luc, your buttons are mismatched.” He sheepishly grinned. 

“Now then, did you two talk or did you just,” she waved her hands.

“ _Maman!”_

“What? I was your age once, too. Your father and I....” Jean-Luc made a face. “Things you don’t ever want to hear out of your parent’s mouth.” 

“Sorry, dear.” Yvette patted Beverly’s arm. “I’ll leave you two to your Lunch. Beverly, dear, Doctor Keats’ office said you could come in anytime after 1600 for a quick dating scan.” 

“Thanks.”

“A dating scan? What’s that?”

“We’ll be able to tell how far along the baby is and when it was conceived to get an accurate due date.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Will we be able to find out if I’m the father? Not that it matters, but....” Beverly nodded. “If you’ll allow a paternity test, yes. I know it doesn’t matter, but I need to know.”

“Of course I will, but Beverly, I already told you that even if the child isn’t mine....I’m here for you.” Yvette smiled at the two youngsters and headed back towards the ladder. “I expect to see a picture of my grand bébé this evening.” 

Jean-Luc opened the lid of the picnic basket. “Maman, how much food did you bring us?” 

“Enough. Now, enjoy your afternoon.” 

She departed down the ladder and Jean-Luc continued to empty the basket. “Well, I smell my bergamot, so this flask must have my tea in it and this one must be for you...” he dug through the basket pulling out various containers, shaking his head at all the food his mother packed for them when his fingers brushed against soft velvet. “That’s odd.” He pulled out a ring box and Beverly gasped. “Jean-Luc! No! Don’t you dare!” 

“It wasn’t me, I swear! Maman must have put it in the basket thinking we might want it....” he opened the box and held it out to Beverly. Sure enough, the same ring Yvette had shown Beverly several years ago when Robert was getting engaged to Marie was nestled in the velvet. “Beverly....”

“No. Please. I already was engaged and that ended in disaster...Please, I can’t. Not yet.” Jean-Luc sighed. “I just want you to know that I intend on never leaving your side. You and this baby are the most important people to me. Beverly, I lo-“

“No! Don’t say it! _Please_. It’s enough that I know you do. And you know I do, too.” Jean-Luc closed the ring box and held it out to her. “Do you think someday you might be ready for this?” Beverly softly smiled.

“Someday. I promise.” 

“Will you at least put back on your promise ring?” 

“Soon.”

“That’s all I can ask you for.” 

###

Beverly was laying on Doctor Keats’ examining table with her dress pulled up to her chest and her hips and legs covered with a small blanket. Jean-Luc was holding her hand as Doctor Keats applied the cold gel to Beverly, who shivered.

“I’m sorry. I know this looks archaic, but this actually is the best way to look at the baby. Of course, our imaging will be a bit more high tech than when we first used ultrasounds.” 

“It’s just cold, that’s all.”

“Ok, Beverly, I’m going to use this wand across your stomach and if you and Jean-Luc want to look at the monitor, we should see the first signs of baby Picard.” Jean-Luc grinned and squeezed Beverly’s hand. 

“I see a head! Jean-Luc! Look! It’s so perfect!” Jean-Luc brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “I see it too.” Doctor Keats started laughing. “What’s so funny, Doctor?”

“Oh, Jean-Luc. I should have known. Any child of yours....”

“Is it ok?”

“The baby is fine. But your child is mooning us. They’re facing towards Beverly instead of out. I’m sorry, I can’t get a look at their genitals for you.”

“That’s alright. I just wanted to make sure they were healthy...are they ok? How old....I mean, how far along am I?” 

“Well,” Doctor Keats gave the two young adults a look, “With Jean-Luc away on missions, I would have thought it would be easy for you two to determine when it occurred.”

“Er....about that. Doctor Keats, can you do a quick paternity check? Please...it’s...a complicated story.” The doctor held out her hands.

“No explanation needed. Jean-Luc, I just need to scan you.” She ran her tricorder over Jean-Luc and then pressed a button. She smiled at Jean-Luc and Beverly when she read the results. It wasn’t her place to ask why Beverly felt she needed a paternity test, but she had to admit being relived to discover the child did belong to Jean-Luc. “Congratulations, Jean-Luc. You’re the father.” Jean-Luc’s smile got bigger and he leaned down and kissed Beverly. 

“You’re having my baby.” She grinned back. “I am.” 

“So Beverly, this puts you around 14 weeks. Have you thought about where you’re going to have the baby?” Beverly shook her head. “I only discovered I was pregnant last week...I should have had an implant?”

“Let me check for you...yes, you _do_ still have the implant in your arm. Can I extract it to run some tests? Sometimes they do go faulty or run out early. When should you be getting it renewed?” Beverly scrunched up her face “Uhm....Nana insisted I have one put in when I was fifteen, so next year?” Doctor Keats nodded. “Sounds like yours went bad early. It happens, unfortunately. This little one is just lucky to be coming into a family who wants them.” Beverly and Jean-Luc exchanged a glance. If the baby had been Jack Crusher’s, it could have been an _entirely_ different story.

Jean-Luc helped Beverly clean the goo off of her stomach while Beverly talked to Doctor Keats about her studies. 

“And I was offered an internship on Delos Four, but I’m going to have to ask them if it can be held for a year.”

“Why?”

“Well, I’d like to be able to spend time with the baby after they are born and I don’t think I want to take a newborn to Delos Four.” 

“I know you already spent your summers helping me out in my office, but how would you like to do your residency here at the hospital? You could still take time off when the baby is due, but you could come back and perhaps do your residency on a part-time basis, at least to continue to earn credit. I know Starfleet Medical offered you some credit towards your residency from your summers here.” 

“Thank you for the offer, but my apartment is at Starfleet Headquarters....” Jean-Luc tilted his head at Beverly. “You have a bedroom at my parent’s house. I’m sure Maman and Papa would love to have you and the baby living with them...and if I take paternity leave, I could help you, too.” Beverly smiled.

“Well, it’s something to talk over with your parents, I guess. Doctor Keats, can I have some time to think about it?”

“Of course.”


	23. Chapter 23

Yvette beamed at the couple when they came back in with Beverly carrying a PADD and Jean-Luc’s arm wrapped around her. "How is the baby?" Beverly beamed at Yvette.  
  
"Baby _Picard,_ ” Beverly put the emphasis on Picard so Yvette would work out that the child was Jean-Luc’s, “will be arriving in about six and a half months. I'll be able to take my finals before their arrival." Yvette glanced between her son and Beverly.   
  
" _Picard_?" Beverly nodded.

"So then?"  
  
"Yes. Jean-Luc is the father." Yvette beamed. "Oh this is wonderful!" Yvette kissed first Beverly, then Jean-Luc on both cheeks. Maurice looked up from his place at the table where he was reading a PADD and drinking a cup of tea.  
  
"What's wonderful?"  
  
"Oh, Maurice! We're having a grand bébé!" Yvette couldn’t help herself and clapped her hands. Maurice rolled his eyes at his wife.  
  
"I know. Our _Princesse_ is having a baby."  
  
"A _Picard_ baby."  
  
"Picard? Are they getting married? It's about time." Beverly blushed.

“Ah, no. Not...not _yet_. I.....” Maurice stood and embraced Beverly. “Believe it or not, _Princesse_ , I do understand. But humour an old man and marry my son eventually?” Beverly grinned. “I already promised him I would.” 

“Good. Now, enough of this. I need to go to my office.” Maurice embraced Beverly once more, clapped his son on the back, and headed back outside. 

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve seen Papa so calm before. I’m surprised he didn’t insist we marry on the spot.” Beverly studied her feet. A small part of her had hoped Maurice would have insisted on a wedding so she wouldn’t have to think about it and it would just happen. She _wanted_ to marry Jean-Luc, but there was that small part of her filled with doubt, that said he only asked because she was pregnant and that their relationship would change again if they were married and not just best friends who used to date. After the disaster that was her engagement to Jack, she was so afraid of ruining what she was rekindling with Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc gently lifted her chin and kissed her cheek. “You alright, Bev?” She smiled.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired. Growing a little person is tiring.” Yvette nodded sympathetically. “Why don’t you go take a nap, dear? I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” 

“That’s a good idea,” She passed Jean-Luc the PADD with the images from the scan to show his mother and he pressed a kiss to her lips.

“I’ll be up after I show Maman these pictures.” 

“Ok.” Jean-Luc watched Beverly walk away and he turned back towards his mother, who beamed at him. “So, you love Beverly and not that other woman.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“Maman, I never loved Phil. It was....a mistake.”

“Hmm. I think you and Beverly have a lot to talk about and sort out.” 

“We do. Trust me, Maman, I don’t plan on keeping anything from her.” Yvette smiled. “Good. Now, show me my grandchild.”

###

Beverly rested her head on Jean-Luc’s chest as soon as he climbed into the bed next to her. Jean-Luc still had the PADD with the images of their baby on it and he tabbed to the first photo and looked at it once more. “Beverly, this makes me so happy.” 

“I’m happy too. And a bit relieved the baby is yours.” Jean-Luc grinned and tightened his grip on her after he placed the PADD on the bedside table. ”Maman wants to turn my room into the nursery.” 

“Where will you sleep?”

“Here, I presume.” Beverly grinned. “I’d like that.”

“Me too. I’ll have to speak with Captain Quinn about my options, but I really _would_ like to take some leave when the baby is born...and then we can think about our future options.” Beverly nudged him. “You’ll just have to get promoted to Captain.” He grinned. 

“Naturally. They’ll promote a lowly twenty-four-year old Lieutenant Junior Grade to Captain, no problem. _And_ they’ll let him appoint a medical student performing her residency as his Chief of Medicine.” Beverly laughed. “Hey, I won’t be a student after my exams. I’ll be a doctor. Well, sort of. I mean, people will be able to call me doctor, I’ll just be performing my residencies. But maybe Captain Quinn would let me do my residency on the _Reliant_? I could do my first year here, with Doctor Keats, and my second on your ship?” Jean-Luc kissed Beverly’s temple. “I can ask him. You know, it might be easier if you _were_ my spouse....” Beverly lowered her eyes.

“I...I know.” 

“It’s alright, Bev. I don’t want to pressure you into a wedding, but maybe we could be engaged? Or at the very least, I could be your boyfriend again? Your betrothed?” Beverly laughed. “Everyone who knows us thinks we never stopped dating anyway. I think our engagements to Jack and Phillipa gave people quite the start. What does Walker think of all of this?” 

“I should probably call him. He will have heard my wedding has been cancelled by now, and likely quite curious. He had harsh words for me when I got together with Phil. I....” He trailed off and rolled them so he could spoon her from behind and rested his hand over the baby. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“When you and Jack...when Jack proposed to you, I suspected he was doing it out of spite. He _knew_ how I felt about you. He knew when I left that I still loved you. I....” Beverly gasped.

“Jack was playing a game with me, wasn’t he?” Jean-Luc kissed the back of her neck soothingly. “Shhh, don’t think about it. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“So, you asked Phil to marry you after only a few dates because....” 

“I think I panicked. Actually, I don’t really remember asking her. She just told me we were engaged and to buy her a ring.” 

“Wow,” Beverly said as she rolled over to face him. “We sure did like torturing our emotions. I can’t tell you how guilty I felt after I slept with you and then said yes to Jack. Although, to be honest, I don’t actually remember saying yes. Jack just put the ring on my finger. But I wished you would speak up. At the dinner, I kept watching your face...” Jean-Luc smiled and kissed her softly. 

“When I was saying goodbye to you I kept hoping you’d say something, too.” Beverly laughed bitterly.

“We sure do like torturing our emotions.” 

“I promise not to torture them anymore. I know you don’t want me to say it yet, but I do...” She smiled. “Yeah, I do too.” He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “You’re supposed to be napping. Should I go? Am I a distraction?”

“No. Stay.”

###

Jean-Luc had just carried a tray into the conservatory – Beverly’s favourite room – with her ginger tea when he decided to ask her something that had been on his mind for a few days.  
  
"Have you told your grandmother about the baby?" Beverly’s face went pale as she accepted her cup. "Oh my god. Jean-Luc. Nana is on a transport and she thinks I'm still marrying Jack! She's going to arrive in Connecticut tomorrow and _no one will be there to greet her._ " Beverly sniffed and Jean-Luc sat down to wrap an arm around her. He rubbed her arm soothingly.  
  
"Shh, Sweetheart. I'll go meet Felisa and bring her here. It'll be fine."   
  
"What will you tell her?"  
  
"Whatever you want me to." Beverly grinned. "Great! You can tell her I broke up with Jack and am having your baby!" Jean-Luc chuckled.  
  
"Coward."  
  
"Hey, you offered!" Jean-Luc leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Do you really want me to? She'll probably want to know why I'm bringing her here."   
  
"Tell her about my break up, but maybe not about the baby. I'll tell her. Or we’ll tell her together. Do you think Maman will mind if Nana stays here?"  
  
"Doubtful. They get along well....though they'll probably have our wedding planned by the end of the day whether we want it or not." Beverly rolled her eyes. " _That_ I can believe." Beverly rose from the sofa and went to look out the window and sighed. "I still need to look over my options with Starfleet.”  
  
"I thought you were going to take Doctor Keats up on her offer and I was going to speak with Captain Quinn for you?"  
  
"I probably will, but what about childcare next year or on a ship? If I do my residencies at a Starfleet base, it will have childcare facilities." Jean-Luc frowned. "What about me?"  
  
"What about you? You'll be on your ship." Jean-Luc shook his head. "Bev, no. It's my child too. I won't leave you to raise them on your own, married to me or not. If you don’t want to come onto the _Reliant_ , I’ll ask for a transfer to wherever you want." Beverly shook her head with a smile.  
  
"I won't let you sacrifice your career...." she trailed off when Jean-Luc rose and reached for her hands. "It's not a sacrifice when it's for our family."  
  
###  
  
Felisa took one look at Beverly when she entered the home, Jean-Luc trailing behind her. "You're pregnant."  
  
" _Nana!_ Jean-Luc?" Jean-Luc held up his hands. "I said nothing. I just told Felisa you broke off your engagement with Jack and you were at my parent’s house." Felisa spun around. "You’re the father."  
  
"Uhmm....Yes," Jean-Luc said, deciding there was no point in hiding or denying anything in front of the older woman.   
  
"Good. You two have always belonged together. I never liked that Jack fellow. When is the wedding?" Beverly shook her head at her grandmother.  
  
"We're not getting married, Nana."  
  
" _Yet_ ," Jean-Luc added. Beverly rolled her eyes. "Fine. _Yet_."  
  
"Engaged?"  
  
"No, Nana."  
  
"Where are your betrothal rings?”

“On chains around our necks until we’re ready to wear them again.”

“Pah! Where is Yvette? I must speak with her about our children..."

  
" _Nana!"_ Jean-Luc only grinned. "Maman is probably in the kitchen. I'll take your bag upstairs for you." He dropped a kiss onto the leathery cheek.

"Be careful with the bag, Jean-Luc. I don't want my lamp to break." Beverly rolled her eyes. "Nana, I told you before, we have lamps and it would have been safe at home."  
  
"Yes, but not the Howard family lamp."  
  
"Right."   
  
###

“Wal, I need you to do me a huge favour.”

 _“What do you need, Johnny?”_ Walker had been waiting for his friend to call him ever since he received notice of the wedding being cancelled. He hoped it had something to do with Beverly and Jack’s break-up and he hoped Beverly had gone to the Picard home and they were together now.

Jean-Luc took a deep breath. “Are you at the flat?” 

_“No, I came to visit my parents. Why?”_

“Would you mind going to the apartment and making sure Jack isn’t there? And, ah...we’d like to take him off the access as a resident.” Walker raised his eyebrows. _“We?_ ”

“Beverly and I.” Walker grinned. “ _So she_ did _go to your parent’s house?”_ Jean-Luc nodded. “ _And are you....”_

“We have a lot to tell you, but not over the comms. Beverly has to be back for class on Monday, and I told her I’d come back with her before returning to the ship on Tuesday.”

_“Let me pack things up and say goodbye to my parents and I’ll go to our apartment and call you from there once I know if Jack’s belongings are still there.”_

“Thanks Walker, you’re a lifesaver.”

_“I better be your best man...Keel out.”_

###

Walker cautiously approached the shared flat he had purchased with his friends when they were in their second year at the Academy. Technically, the flat was owned by just him and Jean-Luc, but they had allowed their friends to live there while they were all Cadets, and Beverly and Jack had continued to live there while he was stationed at Headquarters and Beverly was a medical student. 

The flat was empty of occupants and there was a PADD sitting on the table and a set of the emergency keys they all had in case the power went out. 

_Walker and Jean-Luc,_

_I’ve moved all my belongings to a storage unit and I’m returning my keys and revoking my rights as a resident. I’ve transferred rent to cover the rest of the year. Let Beverly have the flat. She’ll need the space for the baby._

_Jack_

Walker stared at the letter. _Baby? Is Beverly...pregnant? And Jack still left her? Jean-Luc and Beverly have a lot of explaining to do..._ Walker walked into the room previously occupied by Jack to verify it was empty and removed Jack’s access codes from the front door. He debated contacting a locksmith to change the backup lock, but decided Jack wouldn’t have made a copy of the keys. He sat back down at the desk in the living room and called La Barre.

“ _Bonjor_ , Monsieur Picard.” Walker didn’t speak much French, but he liked to show some respect to his friend’s parents. 

_“Bonjour Walker. Did you call for Jean-Luc or Beverly?”_ Walker grinned at the man. “Whoever is available.” The screen abruptly went to a screensaver, indicating he was on hold. He waited a few minutes before Jean-Luc appeared on the screen. “ _Sorry about Papa. He’s been grumbling today.”_

“Doesn’t he always?” Walker quipped and Jean-Luc smiled. _“So, is he gone?”_

“Yep. Cleaned out his room except for the furniture, left the emergency keys and a note. Uh....Jean-Luc, is Beverly pregnant?” Walker could see Jean-Luc flush pink. “ _Yes. She’s about fourteen weeks pregnant.”_

“And that bastard left her? I should go find him and pop him one.” 

_“No, don’t. Look, Beverly and I will be there tomorrow...we’ll explain everything. Picard out.”_ The screen went blank once more and Walker sat back in his chair, puzzling over his friend.

###

Yvette and Felisa were deep in talk, pouring through catalogues over cups of tea when Maurice entered the kitchen. “What’s for Lunch?”

“Oh! I’m sorry dear, I’ve forgotten all about it. I’ll put something together now. Felisa and I were just...” Maurice glanced at the catalogues and PADDs on the table. Wedding and baby products leapt out from the glossy photos. 

“I wish they _would_ get married. They’ve been in love for so many years now. I never understood why they were going to marry other people...” 

“They will get married, Maurice. I know my Beverly. She’s still in love with your Jean-Luc and refuses to admit it to herself, but I think once the baby arrives and she sees how much Jean-Luc loves the both of them...” Felisa trailed off and smiled at her friend. He grumbled. “How long are you staying?”

“I can’t stay long, I have things at home to tend to, but Yvette has invited me to come back when Beverly is due and stay as long as Beverly wants her old Nana around for.” Maurice nodded and took the cup of tea his wife handed him. 

“I just put some soup on. How about we have soup and some crusty bread for our lunch?”

“It’ll do.” Maurice picked up a PADD displaying a beautiful crib. “We should get them this one.” 

“It is nice. I was thinking we should redecorate Jean-Luc’s bedroom as a surprise for them. Turn it into a nursery.” 

“I suppose you’ll allow Jean-Luc to move into Beverly’s bedroom even if they aren’t married?” Yvette gave her husband a wry smile. “Maurice, they’re having a _baby_ together. “ He grumbled. “Fine. But I expect they will be married soon, won’t they?”

“We can but hope.” 

###

Beverly picked up Baby and put the struggling cat into her basket for travel. “I know Baby. I know you hate the basket.” Baby let out a pitiful meow.

“Are you sure you want to take her back? Won’t you be moving home in a few months at the end of the semester?” 

“I don’t want to be alone in the flat. Baby will keep me company and then I’ll bring her back with me. Besides, she’d miss me.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Baby, the travelling cat.”

“Are cats allowed on starships?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I’m not sure. I know a few people have dogs.” 

“Hmm. Well, when you’re Captain, I hope you let me have my cat.” Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “How would I be able to say no to you?” He picked up Beverly’s suitcase with his own. “Are you alright to carry the cat?” She nodded and picked up the basket. Baby meowed at her before settling on the blanket and closing her eyes. “See? I told you Baby doesn’t mind travelling.” 

Beverly let Baby out of the basket once they were in the shuttlecraft Jean-Luc had borrowed from the _Reliant_. “I’m glad Captain Quinn let me take a shuttle.” 

“Me too. Baby _hates_ the transporter.” Beverly settled into the co-pilot seat. 

“I don’t blame her. Hey, want to drive this thing?”

“Do you trust me?” Beverly grinned, remembering her first flight as pilot with Jean-Luc. 

“Yep. But if you crash it, you’re explaining it to Captain Quinn.” 

###

Beverly sat the cat basket on the floor once they entered the shared flat and opened the top, letting Baby jump out. She sniffed the air before running back to the room Beverly used to share with Jean-Luc and settled on the bed. Jean-Luc laughed. “No wonder my bed at home is always covered in cat hair.” Beverly shrugged. “What can I say? Baby loves you. She hated Jack.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She would never go near him and in bed, she would get on my chest and hiss at him if he tried to touch me.” Jean-Luc’s grin got bigger. “That’s my girl.” Beverly wrinkled her nose. “Suppose I should have known....” she trailed off. 

Walker chuckled. “Welcome home, Bev. And can I say how pleased I am that you’re not marrying that wanker known as Jack Crusher.” Beverly embraced her old friend. “Thanks, Walker. If none of you wanted me to marry him, why didn’t you tell me?” Jean-Luc reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Because you looked happy and we didn’t want to ruin your chance at happiness.”

“Yeah, but....” Jean-Luc pressed a finger to her lips.

“Shh, I know.” Walker looked between the two. “So...are you guys together again?”

“No,” Beverly said at the same time Jean-Luc said “Yes.”

“Well, that clears things up.” Walker rolled his eyes at his friends. He studied Beverly’s stomach and she put a protective hand across it. “Are you?”

“Yep. I’m due in July.” Walker reached a tentative hand out. “Can I touch your stomach?” 

“There’s nothing to feel yet, but go ahead.” Walker reverently placed his hand against Beverly’s tummy. “Hello, baby Crusher. I’m your uncle Walker and I’m going to teach you all about how horrible your father is and how Uncle Jean-Luc and I are perfect.” 

“Err...it’s not Crusher.”

“Sorry, baby _Howard_. And can I say how much I think Jack stinks for leaving you pregnant?” 

“It’s not Howard either.” Walker’s eyes went wide. “Picard?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Right, I think you guys have a lot to explain...I’m ordering food. I think this is going to take a while.”

“Ooh, can we have Indian from that little place down the road?” 

“Yeah, sure.”

The friends settled down at the kitchen table with their meals after Beverly fed Baby Feline Supplement number 5. 

“So...did you guys get married? If you did, why wasn’t I invited?” He grinned at his friends. Beverly blushed. “No, Jean-Luc and I didn’t get married.”

“Not that I didn’t _ask_ her. More than once.” 

“Quite.” Walker shook his head. “Alright. But the baby is going to have Johnny’s name?”

“Beverly’s having my baby, Wal.” Walker’s eyes went wide. “What? When did that? How did? I mean, ok, I know _how_ but...Johnny, you were engaged to Phil.”

“It was before....” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck. Walker raised his eyebrows.

“The first night of shore leave?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“Did Jack know?”

“I think he suspected. He never said anything to me. Did he say anything to you, Bev?” Beverly shook her head. “No. I mean, I’m pretty sure he knew I had slept with you, but we didn’t discuss it. He just went and bought that cheap ring and proposed....I was so overwhelmed I was engaged before I knew what I was doing!”

“And Phillipa?” Walker levelled a gaze at his friend.

“A dalliance? I think I was so...shocked when Jack announced he and Beverly were getting married....Phil seemed to think it was a good idea....” Jean-Luc trailed off and put his head in his hands. “It was a bad idea.”

“Well, it’s behind us all now. And you two _are_ together again? Like, actually committed?” Beverly rolled her eyes. 

“Well, we _are_ having a baby together, Wally.”

“Well, yeah, I know that...but have you guys actually admitted your feelings?” Walker looked back and forth between them. “You haven’t. Oh, _come on guys_. You’ve been in love since forever.” 

“Walker, please.” Jean-Luc held up his hand. “In our own time, alright.”

“Well, you know, July isn’t that far away....Hey, are you coming back to the ship with me?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Yes. I have the shuttle and I need to talk to Captain Quinn. I’d like to take some leave when the baby is born and be able to come home if Beverly needs me for anything during her pregnancy...I don’t want to be an absent father,” he reached across the table and took Beverly’s hand. 

“You won’t. But you have a job. I understand. Just...come home to us.” Jean-Luc smiled. “I always will.”

“Hey, guys...did you forget I was here?” Walker glanced between his friends awkwardly. “I mean, if you guys want me to go...and ah, if you just want the flat to yourselves....I can find a new place....” Beverly shook her head. “That’s silly, Walker. Besides, I’m going to have the baby in La Barre, and probably live there for the first six months at least.”

“You decided?”

“Yeah. Maman said Nana could come stay there too, and I think that’s where I’ll have a better support network. No offense, Walker.”

“None taken. I’d probably be on the ship anyway.” Walker dug into his meal. “Beer, Johnny?”

“Sure.” Walker got up and made his way over to the replicator. “Bev, can you have one if it’s synthehol?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Can you just get me some ginger ale?” 

###

Jean-Luc held Beverly close that night in bed with the knowledge that he wasn’t sure when he would see her before the baby’s birth. “Will you need my help moving?” 

“I don’t know. Maman wants me to come home every weekend, so I guess I could slowly move my things over, though I’m not looking forward to all that travel. What about your stuff?”

“I’ll just come get the rest of it when I’m home for the birth. Or get Walker to bring it.” 

“Ok.” Beverly traced circles on Jean-Luc’s chest. “I don’t want you to go. You just got here.” 

“I don’t want to go, either.” He dropped a kiss on her head. “I don’t want to miss anything.” 

“You won’t. I’ll only get big.”

“You’ll be beautiful.” Jean-Luc’s hands moved to her stomach, where she had the tiniest of bumps. “Send me pictures?”

“Of my belly?” Beverly laughed.

“Of you.” He caressed her stomach and let his hands move higher to cup her breasts and she leaned into him. “Jean-Luc?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t stop.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beverly returns to school, and Jean-Luc gets a surprise back on the Reliant.

“Your fiancée is pregnant?” Captain Quinn looked at his protégé standing on the other side of his desk in his ready room. 

“No, sir. Not...not exactly.” Captain Quinn gave him a puzzled look.

“Jean-Luc, have a seat. Tea?” Jean-Luc nodded and Captain Gregory Quinn rose to use the replicator. “Alright, Jean-Luc. I’m not your captain right now. What’s going on? Both you and Lieutenant Keel were scheduled for leave to attend a wedding that was cancelled and now you say you want to cancel the leave for your wedding, but go on paternity leave in July instead? But it’s not your fiancée who’s having your baby?” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck nervously. It hadn’t been hard talking to their family about things, but he hadn’t realised how strange it might sound to someone who didn’t know all of their shared history, and he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to tell his commanding officer. He wondered if it was going to be hard on Beverly back at medical school with everyone knowing she cancelled her wedding to Jack and was now pregnant, since she was bound to start to show soon. He took a calming breath.

“Yes. Ah...do you remember Beverly?” Quinn grinned. “The red-headed doctor cadet friend of yours? Wasn’t it _her_ wedding you were attending?”

“Yes. She cancelled the wedding and is pregnant...with my child.” Quinn’s eyes widened. “Oh. I take it this was before you met your fiancée?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Ex-fiancée.” Quinn steepled his fingers and picked his words carefully.

“I see. Are you and Beverly together?”

“Sort of. We don’t have a formal arrangement because she just broke up with Jack but....I do love her. And I plan on spending the rest of my life with her and my child and any other children Beverly and I have in whatever capacity she will have me.” Quinn smiled.

“Commendable.” 

“Sir? Would you allow children on the ship?” Quinn sipped his tea in contemplation. “What are you thinking Jean-Luc?”

“Beverly still needs to do two years of her residency. She is doing her first year in La Barre, but I was wondering if you could arrange for her second year to be on the _Reliant_?” Quinn leaned over his desk. “Well, I _could_ , Lieutenant Picard, but I’m afraid you won’t be here.” Jean-Luc frowned.

“Sir?”

“I was planning on telling you before you left for your wedding and honeymoon. I’m transferring you to the _Stargazer_. They need a relief flight controller. Isn’t that what you told me you wanted to do when I first offered you a position on my ship? I’ll be sad to see you go, because you are an exemplary officer, but I’m wasting your talents leaving you in Astro.” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Oh, yes, Sir. Thank you.” 

“You’ll have to speak to your new commanding officer about bringing Beverly and your child on board, but I happen to know his first officer is a widower with two children on board, so you’ll just have to speak with the doctor on the _Stargazer_. It comes with a promotion too. Full Lieutenant.” Quinn reached into a drawer and pulled out a solid pip. “Here, trade your half pip in for this one.” Jean-Luc picked up the pip gently and carefully removed his black pip and replaced it with the gold one and grinned.

“Sir, when do I start?” 

“You’ll be transferring at Starbase thirty-two in eight weeks.” Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. “Thirty-two, sir?” 

“I’m sorry, Jean-Luc. You’ll just have to hope you can avoid your ex fiancée. Obviously, I made the arrangements before I knew about your break-up and assumed it would be easiest after your wedding to have you transfer from thirty-two. But the good news is, we’re transferring Lieutenant Keel as well. I won’t split up a good team when I see one.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Thank you, Sir. Will wanting to take paternity leave be a problem?” Quinn shook his head. “When Is Beverly due?” 

“End of July.”

“I will schedule for your leave to begin on the first of July. You will have until the first of January, with the option to extend, of course.”

“Why the first?” Quinn grinned at the young man. 

“Ah, Lieutenant, but babies can arrive at any time. Early, late...perhaps you should speak with your...er, the mother of your child and ask her.”

“I will. Thank you, Sir. May I be dismissed?” 

“Need to call your lady?” Jean-Luc blushed and Quinn chuckled. “Go on. But _do_ remember your first captain and send me an invitation to the wedding.”

###

Jean-Luc grinned when he checked his messages later and he had a picture from Beverly. It was an image of her stomach, and under it she wrote “still not a baby bump” with a little frown. She was in her sixteenth week of pregnancy and she was expecting to have something to show for it other than just feeling fat. Jean-Luc always told her she was beautiful and when they spoke at night, he always talked to the baby, too. Beverly worried that something was wrong with the baby, but scans assured her nothing was wrong.

He wrote back. _Still beautiful. I have news to tell you tonight! Love, JL x_

Beverly blushed in the student lounge when she checked her messages on her PADD and gave her stomach a slight caress. She hadn’t “popped” yet which was actually making her a little sad. She only seemed to feel and look fat, not pregnant. She was going back to La Barre over the weekend, and she had hoped she would have a little bump to show off to the grandparents to be. Beverly checked the clock on the wall. Three in the afternoon. She sighed. Jean-Luc wouldn’t call her until at least nine and she had one more class before she could go home. She grabbed a cup of ginger tea from the replicator and drank it quickly before she left the lounge, shouldering her bag of books. She would have to make a quick stop to the toilet before class, too. Who knew being pregnant made you need to pee so much?

Her last class was over and she walked across the campus towards their flat when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Beverly Howard, right?” Beverly turned around and smiled at the man. He was wearing a white lab coat, and was obviously a fellow medical student, but she had no idea who he was. “That’s me.”

“Hi, my name is Marcus. We’ve had classes together for a few years and I always wanted to say hello to you, but you always had your friends around. I, uh, heard about your break up and I wanted to say I was sorry.”

“Oh, thanks.” Beverly shifted her bag from one shoulder to the other. She _really_ wasn’t sure what to say. Naturally, news of her lack of a wedding ring and not changing her last name had gotten around, but fortunately, news of her pregnancy had not. Of course, one she started showing, there would be entirely _different_ rumours. She wished Jean-Luc was with her. But would that _really_ make it any better? Would people label her a whore for being engaged to one man, but now having the baby of another? Jean-Luc told her not to call herself names, but what _else_ was she? She still didn’t know what to say to Marcus about her ended engagement. Should she tell him she was pregnant? _What was he saying?_ Beverly shifted her weight and frowned. She really needed to pee again.

“....so that’s why I thought I would ask.” Beverly was pulled out of her thoughts. “Sorry? What did you say? I’m afraid my mind was wandering. You know how it is.”

“I was asking if we could maybe grab lunch together? Tomorrow?” 

“Oh. Yeah, sure, that sounds great. But listen, I need to get home. I have to feed my cat and I’m expecting an important comms call this evening.” Marcus nodded. “Alright then, well I guess I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow.”

“I have a lab with Tetra at ten, but I should be free around noon.” Marcus smiled. “Great! It’s a date! See you tomorrow!” He leaned forward and kissed Beverly’s cheek before he walked away with a wave and Beverly groaned. _Wait...did he say it was a date?!_ Dating anyone was most definitely _not_ in her plans, unless it was with Jean-Luc...and she still wasn’t ready to commit to him, and he was the father of her baby, so how was she supposed to go on a date with a fellow student? No. She was going to have to get out of it. Maybe she could fake being sick. She grinned to herself. Wouldn’t _exactly_ be a lie, given her morning sickness took hold at any point in the day. Frankly, she was lucky no one had discovered her throwing up on campus yet. _What did he say his name was? Marcus. Marcus what, though?_ Realising he hadn’t given his last name so she had no way of contacting him, she sighed and made her way across the campus back to her flat.

“Hey Bev! Wait up!” Beverly paused and turned, smiling when she heard her friend’s voice and saw Sora running up to her. Beverly was close to a bench so she sat down to wait for her friend to catch up with her. Sora sat down, out of breath and rested her hands on her knees while she took a few deep breaths. “Hey, I saw Marcus talking to you. You seemed a little out of it. Are you ok?” 

“My mind was on other things. Sora, he asked me to have lunch with him and I hadn’t realised he meant a date....I _can’t_ go on a date.” Sora shrugged. “Why not? You broke it off with Jack. You should get yourself back out there!” Beverly looked down at the ground. _Now or never. Sora is one of my best friends. If I can’t tell her, how can I tell anyone else?_

“Yeah, about that. Uhm...I’m pregnant.” Sora rolled her eyes.

“No. Seriously.” Beverly grinned back at her friend.

“I am! Sixteen weeks along.” Sora grinned and pulled Beverly into a hug.

“Wait. And Jack still left you? Did he know?!” Sora wrinkled her nose. “What a bastard!” Beverly held up her hand. “Actually...I left him, and uhm, the baby’s not his.” Sora’s eyes went wide. “ _Beverly Howard!”_ Beverly spoke quietly. “It’s Jean-Luc’s.” 

“Johnny Picard? What about....I mean, I thought he was engaged to that law student? What was her name? Phyllis?” Beverly looked at the ground again, but hid her smile. “It was before they got engaged....it’s a really long story, and I don’t want to tell it out in the open. Want to come home with me? I really need to pee and we can have dinner and I’ll tell you everything....but you _have_ to get me out of this lunch with Marcus tomorrow!” 

###

They entered Beverly’s flat and Baby immediately wound he way around Sora’s ankles and she picked up the grey cat. “Hello, Baby. I’ve missed you.” She looked around. “So you have the whole place to yourself now?”

“Yeah. Jack moved out after I broke it off with him, and Jean-Luc and Wally are on the _Reliant_. It’s just me and Baby and, uh...baby.” Beverly nervously caressed her stomach. Sora was the first person other than family and Walker to be told, but Sora was Beverly’s best friend and she vowed to try to renew their friendship. With a start, Beverly realised that Jack had kept her from her friends.

“Let me see a scan pic!” Beverly grinned and picked up her PADD. “My sixteen week scan is tomorrow, but this is the one we had in La Barre.” 

“Is that where you went instead of having the wedding? We all wondered. I called Walker, but he said he didn’t know where you were.” 

“Yeah, I went home. I needed to...well, I needed to think. I didn’t know I was pregnant until I had decided to break off the engagement with Jack.”

“This sounds like a story to have over wine....oh, I guess you can’t have wine now.” Sora frowned. Beverly shook her head at her friend. “There’s a bottle of Chateau Picard in the cabinet. Help yourself.”

Over wine (for Sora) and dinner, Beverly told her friend the whole story before they settled in on the couch with cups of tea. “Wow, it’s like a....”

“Space holo opera?” Sora shook her head. “Noo, I was going to say it’s like one of those fairy tales. You know, girl meets boy, they fall in love, they try to deny it..they date...they break up..they get pregnant.....oh!!” Sora swooned. “You _are_ still in love with Johnny, right?” 

Beverly squirmed and jostled Baby off her lap. “Err....”

“Come on, Bev! I know you are. Heck, we _all_ know you guys have been in love since before we were freshmen!”

“You...you do?” Sora grinned. “Sure! I mean, you guys were always together and used to sleepover each other’s dorms, and whenever we went out in a group, you guys drifted together. You held hands, and you would sit in his lap if there weren’t enough seats. I know you guys kissed a bunch, too.

“And when you guys _finally_ started dating, let me tell you a lot of money exchanged hands. I made a pretty penny off you guys getting together. None of us could believe you broke up before he left on his mission. What happened?”

“Nothing really...we just thought we would sort of pause our relationship....and then, well... _this_ happened” Beverly studied her hands, now engagement ring free _._ Sora levelled a gaze at her friend. “So how long was that going on for? Was it just an oopsie? I mean, you were with Jack, weren’t you?” 

“No, I mean...I guess I was. Ah...” Beverly shook her head and her cheeks flamed pink. “ Did you know Jean-Luc was the first boy I slept with? Do you remember after the exams when my shuttles were cancelled?”

“Oh god, the mess on Starbase Twelve? You know they’re still trying to fix it?” 

“I’d believe it. Anyway, I went home with Jean-Luc and one day I just asked him if he thought we should have sex before we came to the Academy....it was just between two friends, nothing more than that. But....it was fun and I decided I didn’t want to date anyone at the Academy for fear of it distracting me so Jean-Luc and I just....continued.” 

“You mean, you guys were FWF.” Beverly shot her friend a puzzled look. “FWF?”

“Yeah, you know. Friends. Who. Fu.....” Beverly held up her hand. “I got it, thanks. But no, it wasn’t just sex....I mean, it was, at first, but then we started dating and....”

“Yep. You’re still in love. And now you’re having his baby and it’s soooo romantic! Do you think you’ll marry him?” 

“He already asked me.” Sora raised an eyebrow. “And?? Where’s the ring??” Beverly rose and walked into Jean-Luc’s bedroom. She opened his bedside table and walked back into the living room with a ring box. “It’s here. After being engaged to Jack...and his hasty engagement to Phil...I just don’t think we’re ready. _I’m_ not ready.” Sora opened the box and gasped. “Wow, this is beautiful!”

“Isn’t it? It’s been in the family for years. Maman – er, Jean-Luc’s mother – showed it to me years ago when Jean-Luc’s brother was proposing to his girlfriend. She said she had rings for both boys, and then showed this one to me. When I told her I liked it, she smiled and said it was the one for Jean-Luc’s future wife...” Sora snorted.

“Yeah, you know, Bev. Sounds to me like Madame Picard already pegged you for her daughter-in-law back then and wanted to make sure you liked the ring.” 

“Do you think so?” 

“I _know_ so.” Beverly blushed. “Maybe.” She took the box back from Sora and put it away in Jean-Luc’s nightstand before sitting back on the sofa. “We’re not even dating, so how can we get married?” Sora gestured to Beverly’s stomach. “I’d say you guys kinda bypassed the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing seeing as you’re going to be _parents!_ ”

“Yeah. But....do we _really_ need to be married? I mean..can’t we just co parent our children without the marriage?” 

“ _Children?_ There’s more than one kid in there?” Sora peered at Beverly’s belly as if it was somehow going to expand like a balloon at any moment. 

“No, but in the future. I mean, I want more than one.” Beverly looked away wistfully. “I always wanted to have three children. Then they would never be lonely because they’d always have a sibling.” 

“Does Jean-Luc know you want more kids?” Beverly nodded. “It was one of those weird three in the morning conversations. Jean-Luc said he didn’t think he would ever have children because of his career, but if he did, he wanted three too.” 

“Quite fortuitous.” Sora grinned.

“Hey, that was a big word for you!” 

“Stuff it.” Beverly grinned back at her friend. “Sora...what if...what if Jean-Luc meets someone else? Someone...someone _better than me,_ ” she spoke softly, and Sora had to strain her ears to hear. Baby, sensing her human was sad, jumped back up into Beverly’s lap, curled up, and purred. Beverly’s hand absently went to stroke the cat. Sora shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Bev. Bevvy. Sweetheart. Tell me again. When did he break up with Phil?” 

“Er...it was when he came home to see me after I cancelled my wedding.” Sora nodded and hmmed, making a continue motion with her hands. “Aaaaand?” 

“He got into his bed and thought I was in his bed with him.” 

“Mmm-hmm. And was the man wearing any clothing?” Bev shook her head. “No. Well, he had on his boxers.” 

“Right, so he kissed the neck of the woman he was in bed with, said ‘Beverly I’m glad you aren’t marrying Jack’ and said your name multiple times in his sleep that night before he found out it was Phillipa in the morning, where he told her he couldn’t marry her and he walked across the hall to your bedroom and got in bed with you....and you’re _worried he’ll meet someone else_?! You _just said_ he got engaged to Phil only as a knee-jerk reaction to your engagement to Jack. I mean, come on Beverly. The man is in love with you. Enamoured – hey, that’s another big word – Head over heels. You guys exchanged promise rings,” she pulled the chain out from Beverly’s shirt for emphasis. “Seriously, Bev. What’s holding you back?” 

“I don’t know.” Tears pooled in Beverly’s eyes and Sora panicked. “Shit. I made the pregnant woman cry. Johnny’s going to kill me.” Beverly attempted a smile. “Sorry, it happens a lot lately. Hormones, I guess. To go along with constantly needing to pee, being nauseated every morning, and outgrowing my bras.” 

“You make it sound awful.”

“It’s not. Honest. Just...new. And, I owe you an apology, too.” 

“What for?”

“Well, when Jack and I got together...or whatever we did...I hadn’t realised how he had sort of pushed me away from you and my other friends. Not until I just saw you today. I mean, you moved out to give Jean-Luc some privacy when he was recovering and I should have asked you to move back in when he left....” She trailed off and sheepishly smiled at her best friend. “Forgive me?”

Sora pulled Beverly into her arms in a tight hug. “Nothing to forgive. We’ll blame Jack. The bastard.” Beverly snorted.

“Hey, what time is it?”

“Coming up on nine, why?” Beverly smiled.

“Jean-Luc should be calling soon. We try to talk every day as long as he’s in range of a transceiver. He sent me a message earlier that he had good news!” 

“Ah, want me to make myself scarce?” Beverly shook her head. “I like having the company. It’s so quiet here with just me and Baby. Hey, want to move back in for the rest of the semester? We have an empty bedroom....”

“Jack’s old room?”

“Well, I guess or mine, which was yours to begin with. I moved out of Jean-Luc and my bedroom when he left. I felt weird sleeping in there without him, but I moved most of my stuff back in...” Sora wrinkled her nose. “No, I’ll take Jack’s old room. But can I like, fumigate it first to get all the bastardness out?” Beverly laughed. “I mean, we could light a candle or something in there.” Sora grinned and headed to the replicator. “And I think I’ll need to get a new mattress because ew.” 

“I slept in that bed too, you know!”

“Yeah, but...Jack was naked in it. And who _else_ slept in it?” Beverly frowned. The first two years they all had lived together there was a bit of a joke about Jack bringing home a new girl each week. She wondered if he had slept around on her and then dismissed the thought and silently thanked whoever had come up with the cure to eradicate sexual diseases. Sora saw the frown. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Sora poked through the menu on the replicator. “Hmm. How about one of those reed things that lets off scent?”

“No, it’s bad for Baby.”

“Really?” Beverly nodded. “Yeah, something about the oils they use being poisonous to cats.” 

“But candles are ok?” 

“Should be. Hey, I bet if you call the building manager, he can beam out the old furniture and beam in new stuff.” Sora nodded. “Great! I’ll be in my new room then and give you time alone with your not-boyfriend or fiancé but father of your child.” Beverly only rolled her eyes. 

“And, you have to get me out of lunch with Marcus tomorrow!” 

###

 _“Hey Sweetheart. How are you today?”_ Jean-Luc grinned and Beverly couldn’t help but grin back. “I’m alright. Still no baby bump.” She frowned. “But we know someone is in there.” 

_“I’m sure you’ll have a bump soon.”_ He heard a noise in the background. _“What’s going on over there? Is Baby knocking stuff down?”_

Beverly laughed. “It’s Sora. I asked her if she wanted to move back in for the rest of the semester. She’s lighting candles in Jack’s room to fumigate it from his ‘bastardness’ as she put it.” Jean-Luc grinned and was secretly happy Beverly wasn’t going to be living alone.

 _“Ah. Tell her to replace the furniture. We have plenty of credits from Jack’s rent.”_ Beverly’s face paled. “Oh my god. Rent! Have I even been paying rent at all this year?” 

_“Shh, it’s not a problem. You don’t owe us anything, and tell Sora she doesn’t either.”_ Sora came out into the room. “Sorry, Bev, I heard my name? Hey, Johnny! You don’t mind, do you?”

_“Of course not, Sora. We have the space. And please, don’t hesitate to go with Beverly when she goes home to La Barre on weekends.”_

“Wow, thanks. You know, that wine of yours is pretty good.” Jean-Luc grinned. _“I’ll tell my father.”_

“I forgot to ask Bev, what do I owe you? Same as before?”

 _“Nothing. I mean, Walker and I own the place outright now.”_ Sora grinned. “Surely, I must owe _something_.” 

_“Just keep Bev company and don’t wreck the place.”_

“I think I can handle that. Thanks, Johnny. Oh, and congratulations, Daddy.” She grinned. “Bev, I’ll be in my new room measuring to let you two lovebirds talk in private. Later, Johnny.”

 _“Bye, Sora.”_ Jean-Luc grinned. “ _First time someone has ever called me a Daddy. I like it. What about you, Mommy?”_ Beverly blushed. “Shouldn’t we be Papa and Maman?”

 _“If you’d like. We can be anything. The baby doesn’t_ have _to use French.”_ He grinned. _“Just wait for the look on Papa’s face if our baby calls me Daddy instead of Papa.”_

“You’re awful.”

 _“You love me.”_ The two fell into an awkward silence. Beverly desperately wanted to tell him that she _did_ love him and was still in love with him, but a small part of her was afraid to. “So.....you have news?” 

_“Couldn’t you tell?”_ Jean-Luc sat up straighter. “You got a promotion! Congratulations!” Beverly beamed at Jean-Luc. “Tell me all about it!”

 _“It was when I went to talk to Captain Quinn about bringing you on board....Quinn nominated me for a transfer to the_ Stargazer _where I’ll be a Relief Flight Controller! No more Astrophysics and Stellar Cartography.”_ Beverly beamed. “Wow! Jean-Luc...that’s amazing! So when do you transfer over?”

“ _Eight weeks. He was going to tell me when I came back from my wedding to Phil. But...Bev...my transfer happens at Starbase thirty-two.”_ She frowned. “Will Phil be there?”

_“Yeah, she’s stationed there for some internship with JAG. She told me all about it, but I’ve forgotten the details.”_

“I’m sorry.” 

_“It’ll...it’ll be fine. I’ll avoid her. And, Walker is transferring with me.”_ Beverly grinned. “Does he know yet?”

 _“I’m not sure. I’m in our quarters, but he’s not here....hey, I guess my promotion comes with my own quarters. Well, until I get you and the baby on the ship with me.”_ Beverly suddenly had a moment of panic. “Jean-Luc. Your leave...”

 _“Shh, sweetheart. It’s fine. Quinn already put it through. My leave starts on July first, and I have to be back on January first unless we want to extend my leave. He said something about babies arriving early sometimes.”_ Beverly grinned. “Six months and you might _want_ to go back to your ship!” He chuckled. _“Nah, not without you.”_ She blushed.

“When will we see you?”

 _“Next month? I told Quinn I wanted to attend your twenty week appointment. He said I can have a shuttle again. I should have five days with you.”_ He smiled. _“I miss you_.” 

“Miss you too. But talking to you every day helps.” 

_“And the baby? How are you feeling?”_

“Still kind of tired. My breasts....oh, this is kind of embarrassing to tell you but they hurt.”

_“Hurt?”_

“Yeah. They stretch for milk....” Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. _“Maybe I should read that book about pregnancy you sent me.”_

“Maybe you should.” She grinned and stood so Jean-Luc could see her stomach. “Still not much of a bump. On the other hand, I haven’t needed to get any maternity uniforms yet.”

 _“Show me?”_ Beverly rolled her eyes but lifted her top. _“Hello, baby. It’s your daddy. I’m sorry I’m not there right now but know that I love you and your mommy and I’ll be home soon. Be good.”_ Beverly lowered her top and sat back down, grinning. “You know, we should call the baby something.” 

_“You mean like talk about names?”_

“Maybe not yet. I dunno. Just something we can call the baby. I mean, the cat’s name is Baby...” He grinned. _“Poor Baby. How’s she doing?”_

“Sleeping with me on your bed every night. She’s going to get mad tomorrow when I pack her up to go home, but I can’t leave her behind.” 

_“Squirt.”_

“Squirt?”

_“For the bump. We’ll call it Squirt.”_


	25. Chapter 25

Beverly removed the promise ring Jean-Luc had given her all those years ago from the chain she had been wearing it on throughout her relationship with Jack and studied it. Truthfully, she was surprised he had never noticed it around her neck or even asked her what she had done with it after she remove it. She wondered if she had never taken it off if she could have somehow prevented Jack from forcing a relationship on her, but she brushed that thought aside. She wondered if she was weak for letting Jack decide they were in a relationship and getting married. She knew if she said anything to Jean-Luc, he would tell her she was being silly and Jack had taken advantage of the situation with her being upset over him being gone. She smiled when she thought of Jean-Luc and gently caressed her small bump. Joy. Being with Jean-Luc and having his baby was an absolute joy. She slid the ring back onto her finger, glad her fingers hadn’t swollen too big yet and grinned. She couldn’t wait for Jean-Luc to notice.

In his quarters on the _Reliant_ , Jean-Luc took his ring off the chain he had been wearing it on for a year and held it in his hand. He had missed the familiar weight on his finger. He supposed taking it off was partially what had gotten them into this mess. Perhaps if he had still had his on, Phillipa wouldn’t have come on to him....he shook his head. No point dwelling in the past or trying to pass the blame onto anyone except perhaps Jack. He frowned. While he considered Walker to be his best friend, he had always counted Jack as a close friend. Certainly close enough to invite him to live with them for three years. If he had any inkling of Jack’s feelings for Beverly, he wouldn’t have given the man permission to still stay in the flat with her. He would have...he shook his head. Acting like a caveman over Beverly would _not_ have pleased her. He slipped the ring onto his finger and smiled. He hoped Beverly would put hers back on soon, too or decide to go straight to the engagement ring.

###

Sora had managed to get Beverly out of her lunch “date” with Marcus by tagging along and grabbing a few other classmates, then making sure she was sat next to Beverly. Marcus had been visibly perturbed, but then the light caught Beverly’s finger and Sora squeed and grabbed her best friend’s hand.

“You’re wearing it again!” Beverly blushed.

“Yeah, I am.” 

“Wearing what?” Marcus peered from the other side of the table at Beverly’s hand. Looked like a plain ring to him. Nothing special about it. Besides, wasn’t her engagement called off. Had she gone back to Crusher?

“Her ring from Lieutenant Picard.” Sora beamed. She wanted nothing more than her two friends to be back together. Beverly wearing her betrothal ring once more was a sure sign she was thinking of marrying him. She wouldn’t tell Marcus about the baby, that was Beverly’s decision if she was going to tell everyone, but she had every intention on making Marcus squirm over asking Beverly out the day before. 

“When did he get promoted?” Beverly turned to Danimar. “He told me last night. Both he and Walker received promotions at the same time, but I haven’t talked to Walker yet. They’re being transferred too. The _Stargazer_. Relief Flight Controller for Jean-Luc, and Engineering assistant for Walker.” 

“Wow! That’s amazing, Beverly. Pass on my congratulations next time you see him please. Not that he’d remember me....” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Of course he’ll remember you. And I’ll see him next month.” 

“Shore leave again already? Wow, must be nice to be a Lieutenant!” Danimar grinned at his friend. “We have an appointment together in La Barre.” Beverly took a bite of her sandwich – turkey, cranberry sauce, brie, and pickle on rye – and Marcus wrinkled his nose when a pickle covered in the ruby jelly fell out and Beverly picked it up off her plate and popped it in her mouth. “Strange combination, Beverly.” She shrugged.

“I know, but it’s what the baby wanted...pickles and cranberries.” There was silence around the table and then Danimar leaned over and kissed Beverly’s cheek. “Congratulations to you and Jean-Luc.” Beverly blushed, but Danimar’s statement seemed to break the ice with the rest of her friends and the congratulations were soon echoed around the table. After they finished lunch, Marcus could be seen muttering “But I thought she had been engaged to Crusher and broke it off? When did she get back together with Picard?” to which Danimar told him to stop gossiping about his friend. 

Sora burst out into laughter and threaded her arm through Beverly’s as they walked across campus. “Well, that’s one way of announcing your pregnancy _and_ keeping Marcus away.” Beverly blushed.

“I didn’t mean to! It just kind of...slipped out.” Sora rolled her eyes.

“Mm-hmm. Hey, what time does the shuttle leave?” 

“Uhm....about a half hour. Long enough to grab my bag and try to convince Baby to get into her travel basket again. Do you want to come home with me?” Sora smiled.

“I wouldn’t miss a weekend of Madame Picard’s cooking for _anything_.” 

###

Sora and Beverly were up in the loft lounging on the makeshift bed. “So...you set this up for Jean-Luc when we were Freshmen?”

“Well, actually...he set it up for _me_ first. Uh...do you remember that guy, Marsden?”

“Wasn’t he the cadet who got kicked out because he assaulted a fellow cadet and then stalked you across campus a few years ago?” 

“Yeah.” Sora’s mouth formed an O shape as it dawned on her.

“Don’t tell me....” Beverly looked at her hands. “It was me. I’m sorry. I should have told you.” 

“Why didn’t you?”

“Shame.” Sora frowned.

“I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.” Beverly shrugged.

“I...I know. Now, I mean. But then? I felt like I had done something to provoke him....They gave Jean-Luc and I the rest of the week off, remember?” Sora nodded.

“Yeah. We all wondered where you guys had gone, but thought there might have been a family emergency. Of course, we all thought you guys were already dating.” Beverly blushed.

“Oh. Well, we came home and since Jean-Luc knew I loved playing with the cats so much, he set up some sleeping bags for us to sleep in the one night...and then at Christmastime, Maman said we could have the barn for our use so I made a better bed.”

“Wow, cool. So you just kept the bedroom set up?” Sora looked around the loft. Beverly smiled.

“Yeah. It’s kind of like our little place.” Sora covered her mouth.

“Oops, will Jean-Luc be mad you shared it with me?” Beverly shook her head. “No, he’ll understand.” There was a clattering on the ladder and the top of Yvette’s head was visible at the top of the ladder. “I think I need to speak to Maurice about putting in a staircase instead of a ladder.” Beverly laughed. “Maman, it’s fine.”

“Hmm. You won’t be saying that when you’re seven months pregnant or after the bébé is here and you want to come up here with him or her.” Beverly frowned.

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.” Yvette smiled.

“Well, don’t worry about it. Maurice and Robert will get it sorted out for you soon. Now, I’ve brought up some tea for you girls.” Yvette left the basket on the bed and Beverly reached out for her hand. “Stay, Maman. Please?”

“Well, alright.” Beverly moved over on the bed to make room for Yvette, who delicately settled onto the mattress, then surprised Beverly by crossing her legs into a pretzel. “I might be nearing fifty, but I can still sit this way!” Beverly laughed.

“I hope I’m still as limber as you when I’m fifty.” 

“Just keep dancing and I’m sure you will be. Have you danced at all since finding out you were pregnant?” Beverly shook her head. “No, I haven’t. But my balance has been all over the place, so I’m not sure I would be very good.” Yvette scrunched up her face in thought.

“Hmm. I will have Robert install a barre for you and a mirror so you can do your exercises in private.” Beverly smiled at the older woman. “Thank you, Maman.”

###

Beverly settled behind Maurice’s desk that evening to talk to Jean-Luc and to show him the latest scan photo. She had deliberately asked Doctor Keats to blur out the genitals, as she was fairly certain they wanted to be surprised. She checked her messages first and was shocked to discover a message from Jack. Beverly took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before tapping on it, sure that it wouldn’t be good.

_Dear Beverly,_

_I heard the baby isn’t mine. Please return my engagement ring to my parent’s address._

_Jack_

Beverly sat fuming. Was that all he had to say to her? She angrily tapped out a reply and winced at the loud noise she was making in the quiet study.

_Jack,_

_I’m relieved it’s not your baby. The ring has already been sent back. Please don’t bother contacting me again._

_Beverly_

Beverly was still seething when Jean-Luc’s call came through. 

_“Sweetheart, you look upset. Are you alright? Is Squirt alright?”_ Concern registered on his face and Beverly smiled. “We’re both fine. Squirt is looking quite healthy and I’m apparently doing wonderful. My weight is right on target, too!” Jean-Luc grinned. “ _Glad to hear it. So why did you look upset?”_

“Jack.” She could see Jean-Luc visibly sigh and his eyes flashed with anger.

 _“He didn’t call you, did he?”_ She shook her head. “No, but he sent me a one lined message telling me he knew the baby wasn’t his and to return the ring. Of all the.....” 

_“Shhh, calm down. Walker might have told him the baby was mine, I know he said Jack sent him a letter the other day. It’s not a big deal if he knows though, is it?”_

“No. It was just the way it was worded. He makes me so mad! What if the baby was his? Would he have just abandoned it?” 

_“Fortunately, we don’t have to think about it. Now, tell me about the scan. Did Sora go with you?”_

“She did . Hold on, I’m sending you the latest images.” Beverly pressed a few buttons and transmitted the new files. Jean-Luc picked up his PADD to look at them and Beverly saw a tear in his eye. “ _Our baby is beautiful. I love Squirt.”_ Beverly laughed. “Maman isn’t too pleased with that nickname, by the way.” 

_“No, I didn’t think she would be.”_ They chatted for about an hour, even though they had spoken the previous day. Beverly finally let out a yawn. _“Tired, sweetheart?”_

“Yeah. Apparently, this being pregnant makes you tired thing doesn’t go away. I guess it make sense. I mean, I’m growing a person inside of me. I think I had just hoped the tiredness would wear off.” Jean-Luc smiled. 

_“Get some sleep Sweetheart. I might not be able to call you tomorrow, I’m shadowing the flight controller on nightshift so I know what I’m doing when I transfer in two months.”_

“That’s ok. We’ll talk when we can, and I’ll see you in a month?”

_“Absolutely. Goodnight, Beverly.”_

“Night, Jean-Luc.” The call ended and Beverly picked up Baby before going upstairs to her bedroom. Beverly realised with a jolt she had forgotten to tell Jean-Luc she was wearing her ring again and realised it was because wearing her ring felt _normal_. She kissed her cat’s head. “Come on, Baby, let’s get some sleep.”

###

Beverly activated the projector and smiled at the ceiling. “I wish you could see these stars, Squirt. These are the same stars your daddy is looking out from his ship on. Well, or the space station. I’m not sure if he’s there yet.” She frowned. She hadn’t spoken with Jean-Luc in several days because he was travelling to the station, but he should have been there by now. _What if he saw Phillipa again and decided he’d rather be with her than me?_ Beverly rested a hand on her rounding belly. _He wouldn’t just abandon us....right?_ She felt a tiny nose nudge her hand on her belly and she smiled. “Hey Baby. Did you decide to say hello to Squirt? Hang on.” Beverly rolled onto her back and Baby crawled on top of her, resting her head on the curve of Beverly’s belly. Beverly sunk her fingers into the familiar grey fur and soon she was lulled to sleep by the purrs of her companion.

###

“Jean-Luc!” Jean-Luc turned around at the sound of his name and was surprised to find out the voice belonged to none other than Phillipa. He tried to find someplace to hide and Walker tried to conceal his grin. Jean-Luc shot his friend a rude gesture before trying to put a smile on his face. It turned into a grimace, but he really didn’t care.

“Phillipa.” Phillipa threw her arms around Jean-Luc’s neck and kissed him, causing Walker to raise his eyebrows. “I’ve missed you, Jean-Luc! I’m so glad you’ve come to see me.” Jean-Luc shot a panicked look at Walker.

“Er...”

“Come on, we have a lot of work to do before the wedding.” She started to tug on his arm and Jean-Luc roughly pulled his arm away from her. “No. I told you, we are _not_ getting married. The wedding was cancelled.” 

“I thought you were just saying that to make that bitch Beverly feel good. I mean, if you want, we can raise the brat.” Jean-Luc raised his hand to slap Phillipa, then thought better of it and lowered it. It really wouldn’t do for his new Captain to find out he had been put in the brig and charged with harassment. Instead, he spoke in a low voice filled with venom. “You listen to me, Phillipa. Our relationship is over. I do not love you, I never _did_ love you. And you will not refer to Beverly as a bitch or to my baby as a brat. In fact, I would prefer it if you _didn’t_ refer to Beverly, myself, and our child at all.” 

“But....”

“No. Now, please leave and do not speak with me again.” Phillipa glanced back at Jean-Luc once more before slinking off and Walker whistled. “Dodged a bullet there, mate.”

“Don’t I know it.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “I can’t believe her.” 

“I can. Anyway, let’s go find our quarters and you better call Beverly. She’ll be worried about you if you don’t.” Jean-Luc grinned at his friend and followed him to the quartermaster’s office.

###

Jean-Luc was trying to sleep. Beverly hadn’t answered his call earlier and he had left her a message to call him back whatever time she got it and he was concerned. He didn’t hear the outer door activate, but he sat up straight when he heard someone enter his bedroom of the suite he was sharing with Walker. “Hello?” He reached for anything he could find to hit the intruder with and came up with a PADD. “Who’s there?”

A body depressed the mattress as it sat down and Jean-Luc became puzzled, but could smell whisky. “Wally, are you drunk? You have the other room. Get out of my bed.” 

“Oops. Sorry, Johnny.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot, Wal.” Walker could only grin at his friend.

_“Comms to Lieutenant Picard.”_

“Picard here.”

 _“Sorry to disturb you. Transmission from Earth for you.”_ It was either Beverly or his mother. “Put it through.” He rose and tied his dressing gown around his waist and grinned when it was Beverly on the monitor. “Bev! Are you alright? I called earlier...”

_“I was napping, sorry.”_

“No, it’s fine. You need your rest. How are you feeling? How’s Squirt?” 

“ _I think she’s alright. I’m having some heartburn, so he must have a crop of hair.”_ Walker heard this from the doorway and snorted .”Are you _sure_ it’s Jean-Luc’s kid in that case?” 

Beverly frowned and Jean-Luc glared. “Uhm. Sorry guys. That was...too much?” 

_“Yeah.”_

“Sorry! I’ll just...go in my room...Night Bev. Night Johnny.”

“ _Night Wally.”_ Jean-Luc grinned at Beverly. “So, you’ll never believe my day.” 

_“Is this a good never believer or a bad?”_

“Uh...more like a what the hell. I ran into Phil. She, ah...seemed to think we were still engaged.” 

_“So...her throwing her ring at you and you carrying her outside while you were naked and telling her to leave and not come back was....what? a fight?”_

“Don’t worry, I didn’t kiss her back.” Beverly rolled her eyes. _“Do you think something is wrong with her?”_

“You mean, medically? I don’t know. Is delusional a disorder?”

_“It’s a mental disorder. I don’t know, Jean-Luc. Be careful.”_

“I will Sweetheart. We’re only here for two days and then we get picked up by the _Stargazer.”_ Beverly smiled.

_“Jean-Luc?”_

“Yes, sweetheart?”

 _“I love you.”_ Jean-Luc grinned. “I love you too. What’s brought that on?”

 _“I just....I wanted you to know.”_ Beverly held up her hand and Jean-Luc grinned. “Really, love?”

 _“Yeah, really.”_ Jean-Luc held up his own hand. “Me too.” Beverly let out a yawn. 

“Still tired?”

_“Yeah. I’m sorry.”_

“Hey, it’s ok. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you.” He kissed his hand and touched the monitor. 

_“I love you, too.”_

###

Jean-Luc settled into his new, private quarters and grinned. It was strange not bunking with Walker, but it was kind of nice to have his own space for now . He placed the photograph of him and Beverly on his bedside table and tucked a print out of the latest scan pic of the baby into the side of the frame. Jean-Luc gave his uniform a gentle tug and walked out of his quarters to report to the Captain. He hoped Captain Benilev was as nice as Quinn. 

He pressed the button outside the Ready Room and was surprised when it slid open without a word. 

“Lieutenant Picard, Sir. Reporting for duty.” Benilev glanced up at him. “Lieutenant. You come highly recommended by Captain Quinn. I hope you live up to it.”

“I will do my best, Sir.” 

“I understand you are a family man, Lieutenant? Your wife’s request to come on board for her second year of residencies with your child has been approved, though I will say it is rare to have a couple serving on the same ship.” Jean-Luc tried to hide his grin at having Beverly called his wife. 

“Sir, I feel I ought to clarify something so you don’t think we have tried to misrepresent anything. Ensign Howard isn’t my wife...yet.” 

“Ah, enaged then.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, Sir. We’re...well, actually, Sir, it’s a very long story.” Benilev waved his hand in undersstanding.

“You’re having a child together, and requested joint quarters on the basis of being in a partnership for seven years....I’d say she’s as good as your wife.” This time, Jean-Luc couldn’t hide his grin. “Thank you, Sir.” 

“Hm. Your five days of leave next month are approved, despite it being so close to your paternity leave. Lieutenant Keel has requested the same. I assume it has something to do with the baby?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Yes, Sir. Thirty week check and scan, and it’s also Beverly’s graduation from Medical.” Benilev nodded.

“And your leave I see begins on July first.” 

“Yes, Sir. Captain Quinn suggested I start before the baby is due?” Benilev nodded. “Yes, you never know, especially with a first child. Our daughter was two weeks early, but when she had her child, he was three weeks late.” 

“I didn’t know you were a grandfather, Sir.” 

“We have three grandchildren. I’m looking forward to having your child on board. Commander Mason has his children on board as well. His sons are three and seven.” Benilev held his hand out to Jean-Luc for him to shake it. “Welcome aboard, Lieutenant. Please report to Commander Mason for your roster assignment. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Jean-Luc left the Ready Room on his way to the Bridge to find Commander Mason and passed Walker. “What’s the Captain like?”

“Not bad, Wally. Not bad. I need to report to Mason. See you later?” 

“Dinner in the mess?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Just knock on my door.”

###

Beverly was in the conservatory with Yvette. She had come home for the weekend despite having lots of studying to do simply because she wanted to see her surrogate parents. She just had two more finals and then her graduation, even though she still had residencies to perform before she would be able to practice on her own. Jean-Luc and Walker were arriving at the flat in a few days, and with a borrowed shuttle from the _Stargazer_ would move the rest of her and Jean-Luc’s belongings to La Barre.

She still hadn’t been able to feel the baby’s movement, and it was distressing to her, despite assurances from Doctor Keats and Yvette that it was fine and it sometimes takes longer for a first pregnancy. Doctor Keats also speculated Beverly might have already felt the baby and dismissed it as gas. Beverly _had_ felt gassy for the past few weeks, but she expected to feel actual kicks and punches. Beverly was just lifting her tea cup when she felt something strange. She looked down, and she saw and felt a ripple appear on her stomach.

“Maman! It’s kicking! The baby is kicking!” Beverly grinned and watched her stomach and Yvette beamed. “May I?”

“Yes.” Yvette placed her hand on Beverly’s dancing stomach. “Ah, hello there young one. It’s your Mémé.” 

“Jean-Luc speaks French to my belly whenever he’s home. And sometimes sings a lullaby he said you used to sing? I’ve been trying to learn it...will you teach me?”

“I sang many songs to my boys when they were little. Do you remember any of the words?” Beverly thought for a minute. 

“It had a girl’s name in it?” 

“Ah! Clair de la lune.” Yvette began to sing softly, “ _Au clair de la lune / Mon ami Pierrot / Prête-moi ta plume / Pour écrire un mot / Ma chandelle est morte / Je n'ai plus de feu / Ouvre-moi ta porte...”_ she trailed off and Beverly smiled. “That’s the one. Can you teach me?” 

“Of course.” 

###

Beverly glanced around her and Jean-Luc’s empty room at the flat. “I’m sort of sad to leave.” Jean-Luc pressed a kiss to her temple. “Well, we do _own_ the flat, so we can always return.” 

“Hmm. _You_ own the flat.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “I’ve told you before....” Beverly sighed. “I know.” 

Sora came out of her own room, dragging her locker. “I guess this is goodbye for now, Bev. I’m going to miss you.” Beverly and Sora embraced. 

“Are you spending the summer with your parents?” 

“Yeah. My residency doesn’t start right away. Thanks for suggesting I take your spot on Delos Four. I mean...are you _sure?_ ” 

“I’m sure,” Beverly rubbed her belly. “I know they said it wouldn’t be a problem to hold my space until after I have the baby, but I’d rather be here with my family.” 

“I hope I live up to their expectations!” Beverly laughed. “You will.”

“Hey, and I want to come visit after Squirt is born. After all, I _am_ going to be godmother.” Walker grinned. “You are? Johnny’s asked me to be his godfather.” 

“You know it’s just a honorific.” Walker grinned at his friends. “I know. But, if I’m the godfather, and Sora is the godmother....”

“ _Don’t_ get any ideas, mister.” Walker slung an arm around Sora and kissed her cheek. “Aw, but why? Aren’t I a gentleman?” Sora wrinkled her nose. “Not usually. Come on, help me get my trunk out and then _maybe_ I’ll let you take me for a cup of coffee.” She leaned over and Walker thought for sure she was going to kiss him and was disappointed when she merely kissed the tip of his nose. Beverly laughed.

“Ah, duty calls.” Walker lifted Sora’s footlocker and winked at Jean-Luc. “We’ll leave in the morning.” 

Beverly shook her head as her friends walked out of the flat. “Those two. Who do they remind me of?” Jean-Luc chuckled and kissed. “Us?”

“Yep. I think they’ll get together permanently eventually, don’t you?” 

“Hm. Maybe.” He kissed her neck. “So, Doctor Howard. What now?” Beverly tilted her neck. “Mmm, don’t stop doing that?” He grinned. “Shall we take this to our bedroom?”

###

Jean-Luc had his arms wrapped around Beverly from behind and he felt pressure against his hand. His eyes flew open. “What was that?” Beverly rolled over onto her back and grinned. “Your child, kicking their mother.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Oh! I mean... _oh._ Squirt, don’t kick your mother.” Beverly giggled and moved his hand back. “He’s always active at bedtime.”

“He?”

“Or she. I haven’t asked at any of my appointments. Do you want to know?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I never thought about it. I guess it would help with coming up with a name if we knew, but....no, let’s keep it a surprise.” 

“I like that.” Jean-Luc caressed her stomach and then leaned over and placed a kiss against it. “Hey there, Squirt. It’s Daddy. _Toi et ta mère êtes mon monde. Je t'aime et j'ai hâte de te rencontrer_.” Jean-Luc began to sing the lullaby, and he grinned when Beverly joined in. “You picked it up?”

“I asked Maman to teach me.” 

###

Jean-Luc was panicking. Beverly prodded him awake and told him she thought she was going into labour and he was panicking. His father caught his elbow as he walked by. “Come with me.” 

“Papa, I can’t. Beverly...” 

“Beverly is fine. Your mother and Felisa are with her helping her time her contractions and preparing for the birth. Besides, you need to call Doctor Keats. And Beverly is _sure_ she wants to have the baby here?” Jean-Luc nodded at his father. “Yes. After she found out that both Robert and I were born here, and you and Oncle Charles and Tante Adele were, she decided the next generation needed to be born here, too.” Maurice smiled. “Alright. Now come, let’s call Doctor Keats and have a drink.” 

“I don’t want a drink. Beverly needs me.” Maurice just shook his head .”Trust me, son, you _need_ a drink.” 

###

“Ok, let’s get mommy and daddy into the tub.” Jean-Luc was wearing a plain pair of black swimtrunks, and Beverly was wearing a two piece, though once she was in the tub, she would be removing the bottom half. 

“What do I do?” Despite having been walked through the steps many times, Jean-Luc still needed to hear it from the doctor or Beverly. 

“Just get behind Beverly and hold her.” He grinned. “My favourite thing to do.” Jean-Luc got into the tub and pushed himself against the wall. Beverly settled between his legs and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her ear. “You’re doing great, you’re beautiful, and I love you.” 

“I love you too. But right now, I feel far from beautiful.” He threaded their fingers together and let her squeeze as a contraction took hold. 

“Are we still sold on the names?” Beverly nodded. “Did you tell anyone?” 

“Nope.”

“Me neither.” Another contraction rolled through Beverly and Doctor Keats was on the side of the tub. “Ok, Beverly, I think it’s about time to push. Jean-Luc, you can help Beverly by holding onto her legs.” 

###

Jean-Luc held the swaddled baby close as Doctor Keats, the nurse she brought along, and Felisa helped Beverly deal with the afterbirth and get cleaned up. He wouldn’t have minded helping, but Beverly told him the parts that came after the baby weren’t exactly pretty and she would rather he not watch. Jean-Luc walked out in to the hall where his family was waiting, still dripping from the pool. He gazed down at the little baby in wonder and felt like his heart would burst. “Hey there, Squirt. Let’s go meet your family.”

Yvette glanced at the baby in her son’s arms and cooed. “Who do we have here?” Jean-Luc beamed.

“This is my son. I’d like you all to meet Wesley Robert Picard.” Robert gasped. “Robert? Really?”

“Yes, really. Robbie....we’ve had our ups and downs, ,but you are my brother and I love you....and Beverly said you were a big help while I wasn’t here. The Wesley part is after Beverly’s grandfather.” Robert looked down at the small baby. “Can I hold him?”

“Of course. The nurse told me I had to support his head....” Jean-Luc quickly repeated the instructions he had been given as he passed Wesley to his uncle. Yvette grinned watching her sons. Maurice wrapped an arm around her. “I’d say we did alright with those two, don’t you?”

“ _Absolutment.”_


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beverly and Jean-Luc settle into life with a baby.

The first few weeks of Wesley’s life were busy for the small family. Even though they had the support and offers of help from Jean-Luc’s parents, Felisa, and Robert and Marie, they were determined to do as much as possible on their own. Both Beverly and Jean-Luc would collapse in their bed each night, barely time to exchange kisses before they dropped into an exhausted sleep, only to be woken up several hours later by their son. Jean-Luc would always get up first and go across to check on Wesley. If he simply needed to be changed, Jean-Luc would change him and the rock him back to sleep. But if it appeared he needed to be fed, Jean-Luc would bring the baby into their bedroom for Beverly to feed him. On more than one occasion, the family could be found fast asleep with Wesley tucked against one of his parents. 

Baby, for her part, really wasn’t sure what to do with this new addition. She would sniff at the baby and one time tried to wash it, which made Beverly giggle. “Aw, Baby is washing her baby.” 

“Is that...is that ok?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Beverly raised her eyebrows at Jean-Luc, daring him to say something.

“I don’t know. But as long as you don’t mind...” He glanced back over at the blanket on the floor with Baby, who was licking Wesley’s forehead and Wesley who was giggling. “I suppose Wesley doesn’t mind, either.” 

“It’s a shame Baby can’t be a babysitter.”

“Why? Do you want a break? I can look after him for a while if you want to do something, or Maman or Felisa can...” Beverly shook her head. “I hate asking. It’s just that....” she frowned. Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “What is it?”

“Wesley is ten weeks old. And we haven’t....I mean...uhh....” she blushed and realisation dawned on Jean-Luc. 

“You want to have sex?”

“YES!” Beverly practically shouted and nearly startled Wesley. Jean-Luc chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“You’re not going to tell your mother we want to have sex, are you?” 

“No. I’m just going to ask if she can look after Wesley for a few hours this afternoon. We can go up to the loft and relax...if we have sex, that’s just a bonus.” Beverly grinned. “Take Wesley with you when you go ask?”

“Sure, but I don’t think we really need him to help convince Maman to babysit.” Beverly shook her head. “No, but I want to take a shower and put on something pretty.” Jean-Luc pressed another kiss to Beverly’s lips. “You’re always pretty. But alright,” Jean-Luc crawled over to Wesley. “Come on, Wes. Let’s go see Mémé so Mommy can shower. Let’s give Mommy a kiss before we go.” Jean-Luc held Wesley up and Beverly planted a kiss on his forehead. 

“Thanks.” 

Jean-Luc found his mother and Felisa in the kitchen along with Marie. “Ok, Wesley. Who do you want to charm first? Mémé, Nana, or Tante Marie?” Marie held out her arms and was soon snuggling a happy child. 

Yvette rose to pour her son a cup of tea. “Now I know you didn’t come down here with Wesley just to charm us. Where’s Beverly?”

“She wanted to take a shower. And uhm...can you babysit for a few hours?” Jean-Luc used his eyes to indicate he wanted to talk to her privately and she placed a hand on his arm. “Come help me bring up the vegetables from the cellar for dinner. I’m sure Wesley is fine with Marie.”

“Oh, he’s perfectly happy!” Marie played peekaboo with Wesley’s blanket making him giggle. She wasn’t ready to have children of her own, but she loved getting to spend time with Wesley. 

Once they were in the cellar, Yvette turned to her son. “What do you _really_ want?” 

“I want to take Beverly up to the loft without Wesley for a few hours. She pointed out that since Wesley was born, we haven’t had a lot of time to ourselves as a couple.” Yvette eyed her son. “You mean, you two haven’t been able to be intimate.”

“ _Maman!_ But...yes. But I promised Beverly I wouldn’t tell you....” 

“My lips are sealed. Now, carry up this basket of vegetables for me. Of course I’ll look after my grand bébé this afternoon.” Yvette went through a side door into the basement. “Let me check and make sure we have milk for him in the freezer.” 

“Milk? You mean, Beverly’s breastmilk?” Yvette nodded. “Didn’t you notice Beverly occasionally slips away? She is pumping breastmilk so we have some on hand once she has to start her residency.” 

“No, I never knew. I don’t know what I thought would happen when Beverly starts. I guess, since she’s only doing half days, I assumed she would feed Wes before she goes and when she comes home?” Yvette shook her head. “Ah, the _naiveté. Non_. What if Wesley was hungry or Beverly had to stay late?” 

“I hadn’t thought about that. But..you can look after him for a few hours?” 

“ _Oui_.” Jean-Luc kissed his mother’s cheek. “Thanks Maman!” 

###

“Well, that was...different.” Beverly leaned down to kiss him, the mirth still evident in her eyes. Jean-Luc reached up and caressed her breasts lightly. “Sorry I played with them...”

“Sorry you got a mouthful...” Jean-Luc grinned and slid his hands down to her hips. “Can’t be helped. We didn’t know.” 

“It never crossed my mind.” Beverly moved against Jean-Luc and he shuddered. “Bev?”

“Hmm?” 

“I want you.” Beverly raised herself up and guided him into her. “That’s good, because I want you.” 

They made love slowly. Truthfully, they hadn’t been intimate much at all since Beverly had become pregnant. There was the few times when they cancelled their weddings, and a few times when Jean-Luc had visited her for appointments, but they hadn’t spent much time on intimacy, being too busy with preparations for Wesley. “Beverly, please let’s not wait so long next time.”

“Oh, no,” Beverly said sliding off of him and resting against his chest. “We’re doing _that_ as often as we can.” 

“Mmm.” Jean-Luc kissed the top of her head. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Oh, by the way, I had my implant renewed.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “A little late to tell me, wasn’t it? I mean, I assumed we would be safe...”

“I didn’t want babies nine months apart, so Doctor Keats put the implant in right after I gave birth.” 

“Good thinking. Maybe a couple of years before we have another?” Beverly smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “Yeah.” 

Jean-Lu ran a hand down Beverly’s arm and held her hand. “You know...I was supposed to ask you something at your graduation....”

“Please don’t.” Jean-Luc frowned, but continued to hold her. “Why not?” 

“I’m just....I’m not ready, alright?” Jean-Luc kissed her again. “It’s ok. I love you.” 

Beverly smiled and closed her eyes. “I love you too. Can we just nap for a bit before we go back?” 

“Sure.”

###

“You sure you’ll be fine?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes and kissed Beverly. “Wesley and I will be fine. It’ll be our first father-son day.” Beverly scrunched up her nose and gave Jean-Luc a narrow glare. “No horses.”

“But...” Beverly held up a finger and pressed it into Jean-Luc’s lips. “No.”

“Fine. No horses.” It had been an argument the couple had been having for a few weeks. Jean-Luc wanted to take Wesley on a horse, and Beverly was forbidding it until he was older. Beverly smiled softly and reached for Jean-Luc’s hand. “I know you want to share them with him, but...can we wait until he’s a little older?”

“Of course we can. I’m sorry I asked. Are you ready for orientation?” 

“I guess so. How do I look?” Beverly twirled. Her navy blue medical student skirt flared out and she wore a white lab coat over top. “Like a doctor.” He tugged at a tendril of hair that slid out of her bun. “But I like your hair down better.”

“Me too, but I’m trying to make a good impression today. Plus I’m sure I’ll have to wear it up at work so it doesn’t get in the way.” 

“You look amazing.” Beverly leaned over and pressed a kiss to Wesley’s forehead. “Oooh, and I hate leaving you.” She took her son from his father’s arms and cuddled him close. Wesley, for his part, let out a small squeak and a contented sigh.

“He’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine. I promise when you come home tonight, everything will be fine.” Beverly eyed him once more.

“And you know where the bottles are?” He nodded. “Yes, and you showed me five time how hot to let the milk get.” 

“ _Not_ hot. Warm. practically lukewarm.” She sighed and shook her head. “No, I’m not ready for this.” Jean-Luc leaned over Wesley and kissed her before taking the baby out of her arms. “ You are. And we’ll be fine. How about we walk you to the hospital?”

“I’d like that.” Beverly grabbed her bag and checked the contents. “Oh, I need another milk bag and a cool bag.”

“Milk bag?” 

“I’m going to have to pump today or it will just hurt.” Jean-Luc nodded. “And the cool bag?”

“So I don’t have to throw it out. If I can bring it home, we can freeze it.” 

“Got it.” Jean-Luc passed Wesley back to Beverly and went down into the basement. “One cool bag. You’re on your own for the milk bags, though.”

“Upstairs, in Wesley’s room. Look in the cabinet under his changing table.” Jean-Luc returned with the bags. “Grabbed you two just in case.” 

“Thanks. Ok, I’m ready. Let’s go.” Jean-Luc grinned and kissed her before taking Wesley back into his arms and settling him into the sling around his chest and shoulders. “We love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

###

Beverly was having a rough day. Since she had worked for Doctor Keats during her summers, the Academy was willing to allow her to only work part time for her first year of residency - just three half days per week, and one full twelve hour shift every fortnight. The other residents were scornful for her special arrangements, and when she was sitting in an empty cubicle to pump at lunchtime, she got walked in on by three different people, despite having closed the curtains around the bed. 

Tears leaked out of her eyes after the third person apologized. _Can I do this? Maybe I should just wait and do my residency in a few years when Wesley is at school...No. I_ can _do this. I_ will _do this._ Beverly heard a baby gurgling and she smiled. She started to sputter and shout “Get out!” when her curtain was pulled back, but paused when she saw Jean-Luc and Wesley.

“Jean-Luc! What are you doing here?” She removed the breast pump and placed Wesley against her breast and he started suckling immediately. 

“We missed you?” Jean-Luc leaned down and kissed her. Beverly rolled her eyes. “Tired of being alone with him already?” Jean-Luc rubbed his neck. “No...I just thought you might like to have lunch with us.”

“He seems to be doing an alright job having lunch. What about us?” Jean-Luc grinned. “Is there a cafeteria?” 

“I suppose we could go eat there after Wesley is finished.” 

Beverly was not expecting all the attention when she walked into the cafeteria with Jean-Luc holding Wesley. Several of the nurses flocked over and began to coo at Wesley, one even asking if she could hold him. Jean-Luc looked over at Beverly for her opinion, and she nodded. When the nursing student took Wesley, Jean-Luc immediately wrapped his arms around Beverly and she leaned back against him and watched as her son managed to charm half a dozen nursing students. 

Beverly and Jean-Luc managed to eat lunch while Wesley was being passed around and Doctor Keats came into the cafeteria and laughed. “I see you’ve learned how much everyone loves a baby. Hello, Jean-Luc. Good to see you. Mind if I go rescue Wesley from Nurse Mivner?” 

“Go ahead, but good luck. I think she’s in love.” 

Beverly reluctantly rose. “I need to get back to work. Lots of paperwork to go through before I start next week, especially since I’ll only be part time.” Jean-Luc kissed her. “Alright. Wes and I will go home. We’ll come back to walk home with you?” Beverly pursed her lips in thought. “Should give us enough time to get home, feed Wesley, give him a bath, and get him in bed.” She sighed. “But when I have my twelves, I won’t be able to put Wes to bed.” 

“It will be fine. I promise.” 

“I know. I’m just...nervous.” Jean-Luc gave her another kiss. “Go kiss your son and we’ll get out of your hair.” 

###

“Bev, do you want to go to the Yuletide Ball?” Beverly smiled. “I’d love to, but what about Wes? I don’t even recall, are children allowed?” Jean-Luc nodded. “We used to go when we were kids, but we can check with Maman.” 

Yvette assured them that children and babies were more than welcome at the ball, and with all the Picards attending, Wesley wouldn’t suffer from people to look after him when his parents wanted to dance. 

“You’ll need a pram for him, dear. Jean-Luc, go up into the attic and see if the one I used for you and Robert is there.” Jean-Luc gave his mother a blank look. “I’d love to,Maman, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“A pram. It has wheels and it’s for a baby? Looks a little like a bassinet on wheels.”

“Oh, I know what a bassinet is.” 

“Good. I’ll send Robert up when he gets in to help you bring it down. It will probably need a good clean. Beverly, do you have a dress?” 

“Oh! Uhm....nothing that will accommodate breastfeeding. Do we have time to alter something? I can always go look in town for a dress....” Yvette shook her head. “Darling, we will find you something. We have plenty of time to create something beautiful that will still allow you to feed my beautiful grandson. Come, let’s take a look in both our closets.” Beverly just rolled her eyes at Jean-Luc. “Good thing Wesley is napping.”

###

Yvette found yards of fabric in the attic that was a perfect match for a dress Beverly had worn a few years ago and created a drape at the front that would allow Beverly to easily feed Wesley discretely. The dress wasn’t flashy, but it was elegant. Jean-Luc would be wearing his dress uniform, even though he was on leave and Yvette had even managed to find a little suit for Wesley, which Beverly thought was darling, but also figured Wesley would throw up on after about five minutes. But at least he’d look cute in a photo. 

Jean-Luc pushed the pram for Beverly and the family all found seats together. Maurice had even agreed to arrive at the beginning, rather than later like he usually preferred. After all, it was his grandson’s first yuletide ball. The family posed for a few photos underneath a green arbour before Wesley got a chance to spit up and Maurice reached for his grandson. He kissed Beverly on the cheek and whispered. “Go on, _Princesse_. Dance with Jean-Luc.”

“Are you sure, Papa?”

“Wesley and I will be fine. I’ll go introduce him to the mayor!” Beverly shook her head and kissed his cheek back. “Thanks, Papa.” 

Jean-Luc held Beverly close and she rested her head on his shoulder while they danced, occasionally one of them would glance over to make sure Wesley was alright. “It’s our anniversary, Sweetheart.” Beverly shook her head. “It’s not. We were broken up last year.” 

Jean-Luc spun her around and pulled her tight against him. “I prefer to think of it as ‘taking a break’. You still owned my heart.” Beverly blushed and Jean-Luc grinned. He kissed her gently. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. We can’t leave Wesley in the house and go out to the loft tonight. It wouldn’t be fair on your parents to ask them to look after him all night.” Jean-Luc’s grin increased.

“The heaters are on, and I moved his bassinette into the loft. Wes can stay with us. And Baby is already up there, no doubt sleeping in Wesley’s bed warming it up.” Beverly grinned. “Probably. Alright. You convinced me. Did you happen to take up our pyjamas?” He nodded. “Good.” 

Wesley began to cry and Beverly and Jean-Luc looked over to where Robert was trying to sooth the baby. “Should we go check on Wes?” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his brother, who shrugged back. “Yes, Robert doesn’t know what’s wrong.”

“Did you just have a conversation with your brother with your eyebrows?” 

“Yep.”

“Hmm. You’ll have to teach me this language for when Wesley is older.” Beverly reluctantly left Jean-Luc’s arms and they walked back over to the table and Robert passed back the wailing infant.

“I’m sorry. I tried to calm him. He doesn’t feel wet...”

“He’s probably hungry. It’s well past bedtime.” Beverly looked around for a quiet corner. “Do you see anywhere I can feed him without everyone looking at me?” 

“We could go out into the courtyard. With the force field, it should be warm enough for him.” Beverly nodded and took Wesley. “I’ll feed him, you get to change him.” 

###

Jean-Luc carried a sleeping Wesley up the stairs to the loft and gently lowered him into the bassinet after Baby vacated it. “I’m so glad Papa and Robert built those steps.”

“Me too.” Jean-Luc turned on the fairy lights and drew Beverly into his arms. “Can I take off your dress?” She nodded. Jean-Luc slowly removed Beverly’s dress before removing his dress uniform and he piled them in a corner. Beverly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For deciding this was still our special night. I....” Jean-Luc turned around when he heard her voice catch. “Shh, Sweetheart. Jack is to blame for everything that happened. None of it was _your fault_. Jack took advantage of your situation. And Phillipa saw an opening and did the same to me.” Beverly nodded. “But If I hadn’t...” He pressed a finger to her lips. “It doesn’t matter. We’re here now, and we have a beautiful baby. I love you, Beverly Howard.”

“I love you too, Jean-Luc Picard. And someday....I’ll let you put that ring on my finger.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Good.” 

Beverly pushed Jean-Luc back onto the bed. “Remember when we used to have to be quiet so Papa wouldn’t know we were having sex?”

“Yes?” He grasped her hips, wondering where she was going with her statement. She leaned down, kissed him, then gave him a wicked grin as she removed her bra. “Think you can be quiet so we don’t wake the baby?” 

###

Jean-Luc was packing up his belongings once again with a frown on his face. “Bev, are you _sure_ you don’t want me to extend my leave? Benilev said I could have the full year.” 

“I’m sure, Jean-Luc. Wesley and I will be fine....we don’t want you to get too far behind in your career. I have Maman and Papa. Maman has agreed to look after Wesley during my shifts and he will sleep in her room when I have to do my twelve hour shifts, and the girls at the hospital have gotten a lot nicer towards me. I’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine.” Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “I know you will...but, do you _want_ me here?”

“If your career didn’t matter...yes.” Jean-Luc gathered Beverly into his arms and looked her in the eye.

“Beverly, I told you...my career doesn’t matter to me as much as you and Wesley do. But...alright. I’ll return to my ship...but I’m going to miss you.”

“The time will fly by and we’ll be joining you. Plus won’t you get to take some shore leave?” Jean-Luc nodded. “In three months, most likely.” 

“Call me every day?” He nodded. “I’ll call you more than that. Send me pictures and holovids of Wes?” 

“Of course. He’ll miss you too, you know.” 

“He won’t even notice I’m gone.” Jean-Luc looked around the bedroom. “I see you got the star machine out again.”

“I’m thinking about putting it in Wesley’s room...or moving his crib in here so we can both see the same stars as you.” Jean-Luc grinned. “I have one for Wesley’s room.”

“You do?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Walker made it for him. It’s smaller than yours, but it will show the same stars.” Beverly kissed him. “He’ll love it.” 

Beverly sadly smiled in the morning when she watched Jean-Luc shoulder his bag. He turned around and kissed her once more, and pressed a kiss to Wesley’s head. “You be good for Mommy. I’ll see you in a few months. I love you, Wes.” He ran his hand down Beverly’s face. “and I love you, too. Beverly.”

“We love you, too.” Beverly had tears in her eyes as Jean-Luc made his way down the footpath leading to the village, where he would catch his transport. She gave Wesley a squeeze and sighed. “Well, Wes. I guess we’re on our own now...”


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beverly struggles being a "single parent"

**2330**

Beverly woke to the sound of the baby crying. She grumbled a bit as she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 0230. She had her alarm set for 0600. She stumbled out of bed and grabbed Jean-Luc’s dressing gown and shoved her feet into a pair of slippers. She plastered a smile on her face as she walked across the hall to Jean-Luc’s old room, now the baby’s nursery. 

“Wesley....Momma’s here, baby boy. Shhhhh,” she reached in and picked up the nine-month-old. “Well, you don’t _feel_ wet. And Baby is in here and she usually isn’t if you’ve made a mess, so we don’t need a change.” She held Wesley close and pressed his face against her cheek as she gently bounced him. “Hungry?” 

She settled into the beautiful rocking chair Robert and Marie had given her as a baby present and shrugged open her dressing gown and unhooked one strap of her camisole. She settled Wesley on her breast and he cried while he tried to suckle. “Shhh, Wes...” Beverly stroked his head of dark hair that matched his father’s and tried to get him to calm enough to eat. Baby curled up on Beverly’s feet, content to be near, even if she didn’t quite understand the squaking small one that smelled like her humans most of the time. 

Wesley refused to latch on and Beverly sat there, defeated, holding her screaming child. A dark shadow crossed the nursery doorway and Beverly looked up at her son’s grandfather with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry...I can’t...he won’t....” 

Maurice strode over to Beverly and took the child from her arms and gently tugged her dressing gown closed. Beverly had stopped being embarrassed over Maurice and Robert seeing her breasts months ago if she was feeding Wesley. “What’s all the commotion, _petit garçon_?” 

“Papa, I don’t know!” Beverly’s wailing drew Baby’s attention, who hopped into her now vacant lap. “Shh, we’ll get to the bottom of this. He’s not wet or hungry?” Beverly shook her head. “Could something have scared him ? Can babies have nightmares?” Beverly shrugged.

“I don’t know.” Maurice continued to rock Wesley in his arms. Beverly threw up her hands in frustration. “I’m stupid. Papa, let me scan him with my tricorder.” Beverly dislodged the cat before dashing across the hall for her tricorder. She ran it over Wesley and frowned. “He has a fever. I guess...I guess he’s not feeling well.” She frowned. “But it doesn’t tell me _why_ he has a fever.” 

Maurice gently put his finger in Wesley’s mouth and felt around. “Beverly, I think he’s teething again. Feel his upper gums.” Beverly gently probed at her son’s mouth with a finger and felt the tiniest sharpness of a new tooth. “That will be it. But how do I sooth the pain? I can’t get him any medicine until morning.” Maurice grinned at his not-yet-daughter-in-law. “Whisky.”

“ _Papa!_ ”

“Worked with Jean-Luc and Robert when they had teething trouble. I bet your parents did the same for you. Come with me.” Maurice carried Wesley out of the bedroom and Beverly trailed behind him, not entirely sure if alcohol was the right solution. Maurice passed Wesley back to Beverly when they arrived in his study and he got out a bottle of Whisky and two glasses. “Uh...Wesley can’t drink out of a glass!”

“The glasses are for us, _princesse._ Now, watch.” Maurice poured out a finger of Whisky into the tumbler, then inserted his finger into the glass. He placed his whisky covered finger in Wesley’s mouth and gently rubbed it over his red gums. Wesley, for his part, made a smacking sound as he sucked on his grandfather’s finger and Beverly couldn’t help but smile as she accepted her glass from Maurice. “That’s it? Just a tiny bit of whisky?” 

“ _Princesse,_ you might be a doctor, but _I_ am a grand-père. Come, let’s put you both back to bed.” Maurice once again took Wesley from Beverly and passed her his glass to carry up the stairs. He settled the now quiet Wesley back into his crib and smiled. “He’ll sleep through until morning, now. I guarantee it. The whisky will have numbed his gums and helped him to fall asleep. Tomorrow, you can get him some pain relief at work.” 

“Thanks, Papa.” He draped an arm across her shoulders and brought her out of the nursery and across the hall to her own bedroom. “Now, let’s get the _princesse_ in bed.”

Beverly smiled when after she got herself under the covers and propped against the headboard to drink her whisky, Maurice settled on top of the covers next to her and held out an arm for her to cuddle against. “Thank you,” she said before bursting into tears. Maurice pulled her close and let her rest her head on his shoulder. “You get it all out, Beverly. Tell Papa what’s upsetting you.” 

“I can’t do this.” 

“Do what, _Princesse_?”

“Be Wesley’s mother. Be a student. Be a doctor. Be a wife, eventually.” He softly smiled. “You can, but you have to ask for help when you need it. Jean-Luc doesn’t expect you to do everything. Talk to him. Tell him you need him to come home. Babies are hard. Yvette’s mother came to stay with us when Robert and Jean-Luc were born and even with three adults, we still sometimes needed an extra hand from my sister.” 

“I don’t want you and Yvette to be put out..you babysit enough as it is when I have to work...Wesley is my responsibility...”

 _“And Jean-Luc’s_. I don’t know why you told him it was okay to go back to his ship without you.” 

“I....” Beverly looked away. 

“You thought you had something to prove, didn’t you, _princesse_?” 

“I thought I could do it all,” Beverly whispered. “I don’t want Jean-Luc to think I’m a failure...but I am.”

“Shh, you’re not. Now, you’re going to get some sleep because I know you have to be up early.”

“You get up earlier than me!” Maurice tssked. “Ah, but I have the luxury of making Robert do all the work today.” Beverly laughed. “So I want you to get some sleep and in the morning, you will not do a thing for Wesley before you leave. You will let Yvette or myself take care of him for you.”

“What about feeding him?” Maurice smiled. “Alright, you can feed him, but then Wesley is going to have a grandparent day and you are going to come home from your internship and take a nice, long bath in that very large tub of yours, and then you are going to call your fiancé and tell him you need him.” 

“We’re not engaged.” Maurice gave her a pointed look.

“Well, maybe you should be.” 

“Maybe.... Papa, were you scared to get engaged to Maman?” Maurice smiled at the younger woman. “Of course I was. I was in love with a beautiful red-headed woman, not unlike you, I might add. I was terrified she would say no, and even more terrified she would say yes!” 

“I let Jack...” Maurice rested a finger against her lips. “Shh, forget about him. He’s not important. What is important is you, Wesley, and Jean-Luc. Or perhaps you, Jean-Luc, and Wesley. You get to pick the order.” He kissed the top of her head. “Get some sleep.”

He turned out her light and briefly admired the stars on her ceiling before he closed her door just enough to leave a gap for Baby who was walking through the door. Baby hopped on the bed and curled up next to Beverly and Maurice shut the door firmly. He would inform Yvette when she woke up that he had offered for them to look after Wesley for the day, but he knew his wife wouldn’t turn down the chance. Maurice carried the now empty glasses downstairs and poured himself another before he sat behind his desk and began looking for the information on how to call Jean-Luc on his ship. Information finally found, Maurice sighed and tapped in the access information.

_“USS Stargazer. Where can I direct your call?”_

“Yes, uhm, hello? I need to speak with Jean-Luc Picard...er... Lieutenant Jean-Luc Picard.”

_“It’s his night cycle, sir. Lieutenant Picard is sleeping. Would you like to leave him a message?”_

“No, I would not! You connect me to my son’s room, _immediately!_ ” Maurice glared at the young crewman manning the panel. _“Yes, sir...May I tell Lieutenant Picard who it is?”_

“His father.”

 _“Right away, sir.”_ The woman’s face was replaced with the Stargazer logo before his son appeared on screen, wiping the sleep from his eyes. _“Papa, is everything alright? Is Beverly...is Wesley?”_

“Physically, everyone is fine.” He watched as Jean-Luc let out a deep breath and sat down in front of the console instead of hovering over it. _“Good. And Maman?”_

“She’s fine, too. Before you ask, Robert and Marie are fine as well. But Jean-Luc...Beverly needs you.” 

_“I know she does, but Papa, she won’t let me!”_

“Come home.” Jean-Luc nodded at his father. “ _I’ll talk to the Captain. Beverly and Wesley were supposed to join me in a few months for her residency to start here, so I’ll ask if I can take some extended leave until then. Perhaps I can still apply for the extended paternity leave.”_

“See to it, Jean-Luc. Beverly won’t admit to you that she needs you. But she’s struggling. Come home. Take Beverly away for a few days and leave Wesley with us or take her up into your loft. But you’re going to have to fight for her to believe she’s worth everything. Jean-Luc, I think Beverly is a little depressed.”

_“I asked her if she was alright only yesterday, she told me she was fine.”_

“Jean-Luc,” Maurice levelled a gaze at his younger son on the monitor. “If I can teach you _anything_ about women, it’s that when they say they are _fine_ , they are anything but.” Jean-Luc nodded at his father. “And whatever you do, _don’t_ tell Beverly I told you to come home. Make it sound like it was your own idea.” Jean-Luc grinned. _“Yes, Papa. I’ll speak with the Captain in the morning and then call Beverly to tell her I’m coming home.”_

“Good. I will see you soon. How do I end this call?”

 _“Picard out,”_ Jean-Luc grinned as the call ended, but then frowned. Why hadn’t Beverly told him she was struggling?

###

Beverly still couldn’t sleep. Talking with her practically father-in-law had helped, but she was still upset. She reached into the drawer next to the bed and pulled out her PADD she used as her journal. She didn’t write in it much anymore, just jotting down Wesley’s milestones for posterity. She tabbed to a new page and stared at the screen before she began to type.

_I’m struggling. I haven’t wanted to let Jean-Luc know how much I’m struggling without him around, but maybe Papa is right and I should talk to Jean-Luc. He’ll be home soon on shore leave. I’ll talk to him then._

_I guess I wanted to prove to Jean-Luc...to myself...that I could handle everything on my own. I shouldn’t have let him return to his ship so soon. We need him....I need him. Papa said he was afraid to ask Maman to marry him...but Jean-Luc didn’t seem afraid to ask....so why am I afraid to accept? Isn’t this what we wanted since we were nineteen? Maybe I should ask Maman or talk to Marie about it. I’ll talk to them in the morning before I leave for work._

_Today Wesley managed to crawl from one side of the conservatory to the other so he could pet Baby. Makes a change from scooting around on his bottom! Of course, the prospect of sinking his fingers into Baby’s soft fur was enough incentive. My poor cat. She’s so patient with him. We also tried carrots today for the first time. I don’t think Robert appreciated it when Wesley grabbed the spoon and the carrots landed on him._

###

Jean-Luc called Beverly at the small hospital she was doing her first year of residency at near La Barre. He studied his love on the monitor. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair wasn’t as shiny as it usually was. He inwardly frowned. _Why hadn’t I noticed how hard it was on her?_

“Hey, Sweetheart.”

_“Jean-Luc, is everything alright? I thought we would talk tonight? I’m kind of at work right now...”_

“I know. But I couldn’t wait to talk to you tonight. I’m coming home.” She smiled. She honestly couldn’t wait to see Jean-Luc, and for him to see Wesley and watch him crawl. She had tried to take a small video this morning, but Wesley hadn’t wanted to crawl. _“A visit would be lovely. I’m sure you’re missing Wesley. How long will you stay for?”_

“I’m missing Wesley _and_ you. But it’s not for a visit. I’ve been given my extended paternity leave until your assignment on the _Stargazer_ starts, though I was asked to help with some research while I’m home and the Captain wants me to help him decided on the batch of students we’ll take on board, including those who would be willing to look after Wesley when we are both unable to.”

 _“Oh, that will be nice. You getting to be around all those young girls.”_ He chuckled. “There’s only one girl I’m interested in, and I’m looking at her right now.” Beverly blushed. _“When will you get here?”_

“Soon as we can arrange transport. I think Walker was going to ask if he could have some shore leave so he could bring me home in a shuttle faster...and he said he misses you and Wesley.” Beverly snorted. “ _Misses Maman’s cooking more like it.”_ Jean-Luc smiled. She seemed a bit brighter now that they were teasing and joking and he decided not to bring up how she was feeling again. Instead ,he settled on asking how Wesley was.

“ _He had his nine month check-up two days ago and he’s perfect, naturally. He actually crawled across the floor yesterday afternoon. He’s getting more teeth in though,”_ Beverly grimaced. _“You should see my breasts. Those teeth_ hurt! _”_ Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “I’ll be sure to kiss them better,” he said not wanting to say anything _too_ personal on an open line. _“Quite. He was very upset last night. He even woke Papa up and your father gave him whisky.”_

“My father gave our nine-month-old child whisky? Do we need to call child services? Surely that’s...well, then again, he was giving me watered down wine when I was five, so I guess whisky at nine months....” Beverly laughed again. _“For his gums. Papa said all parents do it, they just don’t admit it and it’s never in any baby books but it gets passed down from grandparent to parent. He just dabbed a tiny bit on Wesley’s gums and he fell right back to sleep and was even still asleep when I woke up this morning. I even managed a shower all on my own before he needed fed.”_ Jean-Luc grinned. “Good.” He saw Beverly glance behind her and nod to someone. _“I’m sorry, Jean-Luc, I have to go. Strictly speaking, this is for emergency use only.”_

“Oh no, I hope I didn’t get you in trouble.”

_“No, when the call came through and it was you, I was told to ‘go talk to the father of my son’.”_

“Well, I hope I’m more than just that. I love you, Beverly.” 

_“Love you too. See you soon. Howard out.”_

There was a knock on Jean-Luc’s door. “Come.” Walker walked in. “Did you talk to Bev?”

Jean-Luc nodded. “Yep. She looked...well, she looked pretty awful, but then we got to talking and teasing and I started to see the old her. _How_ did I miss this?” 

“Ah, simple, Johnny. You only saw what Beverly wanted you to see. She didn’t want you to know she was struggling with being, effectively, a single parent to a baby. You know Bev. She’s very...”

“Strong and independent. “ Walker nodded. “Wal, that’s what I love about her.” Jean-Luc rose from his chair. “I guess I better pack. You should, too, if you’re coming along.”

“When you come back, you guys will have larger quarters . I heard the Captain talking about it. He wants to give you the second officer’s quarters.” Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. “I can’t take those! Gerard will flip out if I take his quarters from him!” 

“Ah, but I heard he’s being promoted to first officer and Mason is being given his own command. So, if _you’re_ getting the second officer’s quarters...” Jean-Luc’s jaw dropped. “ _No.”_

“I think so, Johnny. Looks like another promotion is in the bag for you!” Jean-Luc just stared at his friend. “Are you...are you ok with this?” Walker nodded. “Of course I am. You work far harder than me. You deserve it, _Lieutenant Commander_.” Jean-Luc flushed.

“Well, I haven’t been notified yet, so don’t call me that!” 

“I bet he tells you before we leave.” 

“Maybe. So, I guess I better pack up everything and put it in one of the cargo bays as storage for now. I mean, there isn’t a whole lot, just my footlocker. But it’d be easier with all the baby stuff we need to bring – not to mention the cat – if I don’t take my footlocker home.”

“You cleared it to bring the cat?” Jean-Luc slowly nodded. 

“I know, it’s going to be interesting. But I think she’ll probably keep to our quarters and not want to wander too much. If she _really_ doesn’t like the ship, we’ll take her back to La Barre, but Beverly would be so upset without her.” 

“Hey, speaking of quarters, what do you think if we rent out our flat to a batch of cadets now that Beverly doesn’t need it?”

“I don’t see why not. We don’t keep anything there anymore, do you?” 

“Nah, just a few things I can easily clear out. Sora said she doesn’t think she’ll be back, either. We can turn it over to a management company for a small percentage of the rent.” Jean-Luc nodded at his friend. “You looked into it, I take it?” 

“Yeah. We both just need to sign the papers for the management company, and then _they_ find the renters and set everything up for us.”

“Sounds good. What if we wind up at HQ and need the flat?”

“I’ll ask. Probably the rental agreement would have to have a clause in it giving the tenants something like sixty days? Then if we need temporary housing for a month, it wouldn’t be bad.” Jean-Luc nodded again. “ I’ll put you in charge of that. You have my permission for whatever, just tell me where to sign. You know I’m not bothered by the amount of money we get, either.” Walker nodded. 

“I was thinking we would set the price lower than some of the other places to give cadets with less money the chance to live off-campus.”

“Good idea.”

“Great. I’ll leave you to your packing. I think we’re going to leave in two days?” 

“Yep. Two days.”

###

Jean-Luc cradled his son and leaned over and kissed Beverly. “I’ve missed you. _Both_ of you.” Beverly smiled. “We missed you too. You get to do bath time tonight, Daddy.” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Did you _ever_ figure out bathing him in the big tub?” Beverly shook her head.

“No. Well, sort of. If you use the baby bath _in the tub_ , there’s enough room for you to sit in the empty tub while you give him his bath. I don’t know when we’ll do when he outgrows the tub. Oh! Will our quarters have a tub?” Jean-Luc nodded . Just before he was scheduled to leave, Jean-Luc was called into the Captain’s office and given his promotion to Lieutenant Commander and Second Officer. He hadn’t told Beverly yet.

“Good, because I don’t fancy giving Wes a sonic shower, do you?” Jean-Luc laughed. “No, definitely not.” Beverly smiled at Jean-Luc cuddling Wesley and leaned over to kiss him. “Since you have him right now, I’m going to go see if Maman will let me help with dinner.”

“Hmm. Good luck with that. I think Walker is in the kitchen eating Maman’s cooking already.” Beverly rolled her eyes.

“Figured. How long is he staying?”

“Just a few days. He wants to visit his parents and then visit Sora on Delos Four before returning to the ship.” Beverly nodded and kissed him before leaving him alone with his son. Jean-Luc sat Wesley on the play mat on the floor and grabbed a few of the toys. “What should we play with, Wes?” He picked up to shapes and held them out to his son. “Which one do you want?” Wesley’s chubby hand reached for the star and took it. “Good job, Wesley! That’s a star! Although, a _real_ star looks nothing like this, but never mind. You have the star!” Beverly paused in the doorway and watched father and son play, grateful that Jean-Luc had come home before she had asked him to like she had promised Maurice she would. She pursed her lips. Had Maurice contacted Jean-Luc to tell him Beverly was having problems? She shook her head as she turned away. _Impossible. Jean-Luc called me at nine this morning, there’s no way he would have had time to speak with his father and his Captain before calling me since his ship’s time is set to only an hour earlier than it is here._

Dinner was entertaining. Jean-Luc hadn’t yet been around when Wesley was eating solids so he was surprised when Wesley was placed in a high chair and small bits of food were placed on the tray for the nine-month-old to pick up. Beverly also had a dish of pureed food, but Wesley was more interested in his finger food. Walker grimaced when Wesley smashed a soft piece of carrot into his hair.

“Babies are....” he trailed off, noticing the glare Beverly was sending his way.

“Babies are what, Wally?” She smiled sweetly and he shook his head. 

“Nothing Bev.” Jean-Luc chuckled and watched his son smash another cooked carrot into his hair.

“I see now why Wesley needs a bath each night.”

“Mm-hm. Sometimes after lunch, too. Depending on what we eat.” Beverly sat a cup with two handles and what looked like the teat of a bottle attached on the tray and Wesley grabbed onto it. “He might need your help, Daddy. He’s not really able to use a cup, I just like him being able to grab it if he’s thirsty.” Jean-Luc frowned while he held up the cup and Wesley latched onto it as if it was a bottle, tilting his head back to drink the water.

“I’ve missed so much. I’m sorry, Beverly.” 

“You haven’t missed much. Some teeth. A couple inches. A few pounds” Jean-Luc gazed at his son. “But look at him! I mean, I know I see him on the monitor every day when we speak, but he’s gotten so big in the past three months.” He reached out for Beverly’s hand not holding her fork and squeezed it. “Next baby, please don’t let me leave.” She smirked and squeezed his hand back.

“Next one? Can we raise the first one first?”

###

Jean-Luc watched his love as she gently took Wesley and settled on the rocking chair to feed the baby before bedtime. He had given Wesley his bath, and he now understood why Beverly complained about trying to wash his hair. He was a wiggly thing now that he was a little older. Jean-Luc knelt by her feet and just watched with pure adoration on his face at mother and child. “Beautiful.”

“Yeah, when he doesn’t decide to use his new teeth. Ow! Wesley!” Jean-Luc chuckled, but leaned over his son and spoke sternly. “Wesley, mommy is not a chew toy.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure that helped.”

“Sorry. I’ll kiss them better after he’s asleep.” 

“Hmm. Might not be able to, _this one_ gets me up several times in the night still.” Jean-Luc brushed Beverly’s hair out of her face. “Not tonight, sweetheart. Maman said she would take care of Wes tonight. She said you...well, she said you needed it.” Beverly softly smiled. “I guess I better pump some milk later just in case he needs it.” 

“So what’s the bedtime routine?” Beverly smiled. “Well, we eat dinner, and then have a bath, which you just did. Then, he usually feeds and depending on how tired he is, he might fall asleep feeding or I’ll read him a story and sing him a lullaby.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Do I have time to run downstairs quickly before you put him to bed so I can help?” She nodded. “He’s a slow eater. This could take about twenty minutes if he doesn’t fall asleep.”

Jean-Luc leaned down and kissed her before leaving the nursery. He hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses, and then rummaged around in the cupboard for some candles. “Jean-Luc, what are you doing?”

“Maman, I want to let Beverly have a relaxing bath tonight with candles and wine.” 

“Better take a sparkling juice too. Beverly’s been limiting her wine with breastfeeding.” Jean-Luc frowned. “I should _know these things!_ Maman, why did I let Beverly send me back to work?”

Yvette kissed her son’s forehead. “Because you are a wonderful man who wants his wife to be independent.” He frowned at his mother. 

“She’s still not agreed to marry me.” She patted his arm sympathetically.

“She will. Now, get yourself a tray and I’ll help you find everything you need.” Jen-Luc smiled. “Thanks, Maman. I only have fifteen minutes!”

Jean-Luc hurried back into the nursery. “Did I miss bedtime?” Beverly shook her head. “Nope, but I think Wesley is almost asleep. Do you want to put him in the crib?” 

“Are you still using that sleeping bag thing?” She nodded. “Yep. It keeps him covered and keeps him from covering his face. Just pull the straps over his shoulders gently.” Jean-Luc placed his son in the crib and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight, Wesley. Daddy loves you.” 

Beverly leaned over and kissed Wesley. “Be good for Mémé.” 

Jean-Luc twined his fingers in hers. “Maman took the monitor from our room so we wouldn’t be disturbed.” Beverly snorted. “Wes is across the hall and he has big lungs. If he cries, we’ll hear him.” 

“Come with me.” Jean-Luc tugged her into the room and noticed Baby on the bed. “Baby, are you staying? I need to close the door.” Baby merely sleepily blinked so Jean-Luc shut the door and hoped the cat wouldn’t wake them up later. He passed Beverly a silky robe. “Put this on.” 

“Mmm, ok. Do you have a matching one?” Jean-Luc grinned and stripped down to a pair of silk boxers. “No, just these.” Beverly licked her lips. “Nice.” 

Jean-Luc took her hand again and brought her into their bathroom. The bathtub was filled with hot water and bubbles, there were roses scattered on the counter alongside dozens of small candles. Two glasses, a bottle of wine, and a bottle of non-alcoholic wine waited on the side of the tub. Jean-Luc reached for the sash of Beverly’s robe and slowly removed it. She snorted. “Why did I bother with the robe? Can I take off your shorts?” He nodded and she slowly slid them down.

When they were naked, he pulled her against him and gave her a deep kiss. “I love you, Beverly.”

“I love you too. Can we get in the tub? It’s a little chilly.” He chuckled but bowed and gestured to the tub. They clinked glasses before Beverly settled her back against his chest and he wrapped his free arm around her. He gently sucked at her neck and she sighed happily. “Mm, this is nice.”

Jean-Luc put his glass down and started slowly massaging her shoulders. “Oh, yeah. Don’t stop.” 

He smiled and continued to rub, but paused ever so often to press a kiss to her neck, ear, or shoulders. Beverly began to softly cry and her shoulders jolted with each sob. “Sweetheart? Turn around.”

“No. I don’t want you to see me crying.”

“Beverly, why?” 

“I...I’m an awful mother, Jean-Luc.” Jean-Luc moved his hands from her shoulders to her waist and pulled her back against him. “Shh, you’re not. Please, tell me why you think you are.”

“I can’t handle it...on my own. I wanted to...no, I _needed_ to....but I can’t...and I’m a bad mother and you shouldn’t marry me because I’m going to be a horrible wife...” Jean-Luc gently and slowly shifted Beverly so she was sitting in his lap and he kissed her lips softly. “You’re going to be a wonderful wife and you are an incredible mother just for trying to do it all on your own and acknowledging you need help.” 

Beverly’s head fell forward onto Jean-Luc’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I made you leave and you missed three months of your son’s life. Can you ever forgive me?” 

“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to forgive. We made a mistake, that’s all. Wesley’s too young to remember he spent three months not seeing me.” Beverly lifted her head from his shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” He captured her lips in a slow kiss. “Beverly, will you marry me? We keep talking about being married in abstract terms, but let’s make it happen? We’ve waited so long...”

“Yes,” Beverly whispered. “I was so stupid not saying yes before you left. I....I was afraid...”

“I know. And we can be engaged for however long you want. If you want to be engaged until Wesley is twenty-five and we have two other kids, that’s fine by me.” Beverly smiled. “No, I don’t want to wait long. Nana comes back in two months...want to get married then?” 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beverly, Jean-Luc, and baby Wesley have a family day out

“I have news to tell you, too.” Jean-Luc lifted Beverly’s fingers to kiss them, with one now adorned with the engagement ring Beverly glimpsed at several years prior. She wore it nestled against her promise ring, and the two together nearly made it look as if they were already married. 

“Really?” Beverly shifted on the bed to face him. “What else?” 

“I’m surprised you didn’t notice my uniform. I’ve been promoted!”

“Oh wow, that was fast!” Beverly beamed at her fiancé. “I’m so proud of you, Lieutenant Commander!” Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around her and grinned.

“Well, that’s not all...”

“No?”

“When we return to the ship, we’ll be living in the Second Officer’s quarters.” 

“But, what about the second officer? Won’t they need their quarters?” Beverly slid her leg across his to straddle him. Jean-Luc moved his hands to her hips and drew them up her sides, making her sigh a little. He gave her a pensive look.

“Yes, I suspect he and his wife will. I understand they’ll be bringing along their child. He’ll be just over a year old...” 

“I...I...oh!” Beverly smacked his chest. “You’ve been made second officer?” 

“I have.” Beverly leaned down and kissed him. “I’m so proud of you!” Beverly leaned in to kiss him again, but she heard the muffled cry of their son through the closed door and she started to get off of him, but Jean-Luc grabbed her hips once more to steady her. “Nope. Maman said she had him tonight. Unless there’s a problem, you’re staying right here.” He kissed her lightly.

“Ok. I’ll try.” Beverly continued to strain her ears and listened to Wesley cry and Yvette’s voice trying to sooth him with no luck. Beverly reluctantly slid off Jean-Luc and reached for the silk robe he had given her to wear earlier. “Nope, I can’t do it. I’m sorry.” 

He grinned. “Honestly, neither can I. Should we sleep out in the loft tonight?” 

“Mmm. Probably.” Beverly opened the door and strode across the hall to check on Wesley. Jean-Luc swung his legs out of the bed and threw back on his shorts and headed across the hall,. HE stood in the doorway and watched his mother pretend to reprimand Beverly.

“Beverly...I told you, you have tonight off.” Yvette pretended to scold the young mother, though she was smiling at the same time. Beverly sheepishly grinned. “I know, but....Wesley cried and I couldn’t ignore him.” Beverly reached to take the baby out of his grandmother’s arms and Yvette let out a gasp of excitement when she spotted Beverly’s finger. 

“Does this mean what I think it means?” Beverly nodded.

“I said yes!” Yvette pulled Beverly into an embrace, making Wesley squeal from being squished and kissed her cheek. “Oh, this is wonderful news!” Jean-Luc came fully into the room and Yvette swept him up in her arms. “I’m so happy for you.” 

“Thank you, Maman. Is Wes alright? I think we’re going to have to go out to the loft. It’s....well, it feels strange not getting up and responding if Wesley cries. So maybe if we can’t _hear_ him...”

“Yes, go out there. We will see you two in the morning for Breakfast.” Jean-Luc grinned and he leaned over to press a kiss to Wesley’s forehead. “Goodnight, son. Be good.” Jean-Luc turned to Beverly, “I’m going to put on some pyjamas for the walk over. It might be a little chilly out.”

“Good thinking, but let me just see if Wesley wants to be fed first.” Beverly settled into the rocking chair with Wesley and Jean-Luc smiled once more before going back across the hallway and putting on a pair of warm pyjamas . He pulled out a pair for Beverly to change into when she returned. Beverly finished feeding Wesley and pressed her own kiss to Wesley’s head before passing him back to his grandmother and moving back to her bedroom. “Baby, we’re going out to the loft. Will you keep Wesley company?” Baby jumped off their bed and walked across the hall and Beverly grinned. 

“I can’t believe she listens like that,” Jean-Luc said shaking his head.

“She’s a good cat.”

Jean-Luc held Beverly’s hand as they walked across to the barn. “Have you been up since I went back to work?” 

“No, I wanted to, but it was too sad and lonely without you. I couldn’t even come up with Sora when she came to visit.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” 

“It’s alright.” 

The climbed the stairs Maurice had built together and Jean-Luc turned on the portable heater. “Bit chilly up here. If I had known, I’d have come out and turned it on earlier.” Beverly smirked.

“Surprised you didn’t.” 

“Mm, we’ll just have to keep warm some other way.” Beverly’s smirk got bigger. 

“I think I have a few ideas...”

###

Beverly slowly woke up in Jean-Luc’s arms in the morning and panicked when she realised she hadn’t woken up with Wesley, then calmed down when she remembered she was in the loft and Wesley was being looked after by Yvette. She stretched and curled back into Jean-Luc and pressed her backside gently against him. He stirred and kissed her neck. “Mm, good morning. I can’t tell you how good it feels to wake up with you in my arms.” 

“Can’t tell you how weird it feels to not be up with Wesley.” He pulled her tighter against him. “Everyone needs a day off every once in a while, even mothers.”

“I know. I just feel guilty.” He chuckled.

“You feel guilty? I’ve been away for three months.” She rolled over and kissed his lips. “Have I mentioned how sorry I am that you were?”

“Shh, it wasn’t your fault.” 

“It was.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “How about we just call it even?” She grinned. “Alright.” She stretched again and Jean-Luc groaned as her breasts peeked out from the blanket. 

“When is Wesley going to be done with those?” 

“Hmm. When he decides he no longer wants to be breastfed or he gets too many teeth and starts to hurt me. But you know, some alien species feed their young from their breasts for far longer than us humans. Even in the animal world and in ancient Earth history, women used to breastfeed until their babies were four, sometimes even five or six.”

“ _Six years?_ ”

“Yep. I’d like to keep breastfeeding until he’s one. It’s very....I don’t know. It’s like our special time.” Jean-Luc nodded. He might be the father, but there was always a special bond between a mother and their child.

“Well, I’m going to be selfish and say I can’t wait. I miss being able to kiss those breasts.” 

“Me too.” Beverly glanced at the clock on the wall. “I don’t have to be at the hospital until nine, and if Maman is looking after Wes this morning....” she walked her fingers across his chest and Jean-Luc’s eyebrows rose.

“Oh?”

“It means I can get more sleep!” She grinned and rested her head on his chest. He chuckled.

“Cheeky. But get more sleep.”

###

They woke up again when they heard Yvette calling to them and Wesley gurgling happy. “Can we come up?” Jean-Luc adjusted the blanket to make sure they were covered. “Yes, Maman.” 

Yvette came up the stairs and Wesley immediately squealed when he saw his parents and Jean-Luc held out his arms for his son. “Good morning, sunshine. Are you causing trouble for Mémé?” Yvette laughed.

“Not at all. We’re more than ready for a day with Mémé, aren’t we?” She gently tickled Wesley under his chin. “I came to let Beverly know that Doctor Keats has given her the day off.”

“Ah, that’s brilliant! We can have a family day!” Jean-Luc grinned at Beverly. Yvette smiled.

“ _Non._ I will still keep Wesley today. Beverly needs to go do something fun, away from the vineyard. Go out on the horses or into the village for lunch with Walker.” 

“Maman, are you sure?” 

“Positive.” 

“Alright,” Beverly reached and took Wesley from Jean-Luc. “At least let me feed him first.” Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around Beverly and Wesley and kissed her shoulder. “I’m still fascinated and in awe of you, Bev.” 

Yvette wanted to give the family some time alone, but she also was struck by the beauty of the three of them and how much her son loved both Beverly and Wesley. She settled for sitting on the edge of the loft bed as ideas began to form in her head of what she could do for the family. 

Wesley fell asleep on his mother’s breast. Yvette gently took the sleeping child. “Now, let’s see if I can get him back into his crib before he wakes,” she grinned at the couple after Beverly had covered herself with the blanket again. “Why don’t you get dressed and come to the house for some breakfast before you plan your day. Beverly, I’ll make some decaf coffee for you.”

“Thanks, Maman. I really can’t wait until I can have regular coffee again.”

Over breakfast, Jean-Luc and Beverly pondered what to do and found they were at loose ends, because everything they thought of doing, they wanted to take Wesley, too. Beverly hadn’t gone out riding in over a year, and decided she wasn’t ready to go out yet. They ruled out a picnic by the riverside, given the current weather. Paris, while purely magical for the couple, was just a little _too_ far away for Beverly’s liking. Walker had no ideas for the couple either, but offered to let them have the day to themselves without him if they’d like. They settled on a trip into the village and lunch in the tavern with Walker, but Jean-Luc and Beverly insisted they take Wesley along for his first family outing. The first six months of Wesley’s life were spent with Jean-Luc and Beverly mostly having no clue what they were doing with a small baby and they hardly left the vineyard on their own, let alone as a family unless it was to attend an appointment at Wesley’s doctor. 

Jean-Luc insisted on using the baby sling to give Beverly a small break from carrying him and Beverly put together a small diaper bag of things she thought Wesley might need while they were out – fresh diapers (although Jean-Luc called it a nappy), a spare change of clothing, a jar of homemade baby food for his lunch, some teething toys, and his favourite teddy bear attached to a blanket. 

Walker surveyed the bag. “Wow, I never realised how much one small baby needed.” Beverly grinned at her friend.

“Trust me. We might need all this.”

“A spare change of clothing?”

“Yeah. One time when we had a doctor’s appointment, someone had a bit of an explosion and it went completely through his diaper and he needed fresh clothing. Fortunately, the hospital had a replicator as I hadn’t brought anything!” Beverly laughed at the memory, but it had been a trying time for her. She had wept in the doctor’s office that she was a horrible mother who wasn’t prepared, but she never told Jean-Luc or Yvette about the incident. Jean-Luc caught the look in her eyes and made a note to ask her later what _really_ happened. 

“Not our little Wesley!” Walker pretended to be shocked, but he was grinning.

“Mm-hmm,” Beverly leaned over and dropped a kiss on Wesley’s head. “Our little Wesley.” She shouldered the bag, but Walker reached for it instead . “Thanks. Shall we?” Jean-Luc peered at his son in the sling. 

“Do you think Wes will be warm enough?” 

“Well, the sling is designed to reflect body heat and he has on a hat. Mittens are pointless as he’ll only lose them, but we can tuck his hands into his sleeves.” Jean-Luc nodded and put on his jacket, then discovered a problem. “Bev? Uh...how do _I_ stay warm?” 

“Give me the kid and go put on an extra layer?”

###

Jean-Luc held Beverly’s hand firmly in his and had his other hand on the sling under Wesley, even though he knew Wesley was safe as they walked through the village. Walker trailed behind, grateful that his friends had invited him along, but also not wanting to invade their family time. They stopped in the local Apothecary and Beverly picked up some of her favourite bath salts and a salve for Wesley. “What’s that for?”

“If he gets diaper rash, which I’m sad to say, he does occasionally, this stuff will clear it up. I mean, I could get him something from work, but I like the more natural approach. It makes me feel a little closer to Nana.” 

“Hmm. I wonder if we can program it into the replicator on the ship?” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Defeats the purpose of natural, doesn’t it?” Jean-Luc frowned. “We’ll just have to stock up before we leave.” 

The tavern was noisy at lunchtime and Beverly was nervous it would be too much for her son, but Wesley was wide awake and taking it all in from Jean-Luc’s arms. Jean-Luc handed Wesley to Beverly and went out in search of a high chair and ran into his old friend, Louis. 

“Jean-Luc! I didn’t expect to see you. I thought you were out exploring space.” 

“I am. Well, usually. But I’m on leave right now. Did you know Beverly and I had a baby?” Shock registered on Louis’ face.

“No! My mother never said. Are you here with her?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“And our friend Walker, I think you met him a few years back?” Louis nodded and Jean-Luc grabbed a high chair from a corner of the room and brought it and Louis over to Beverly and Walker. Louis fawned over Wesley and Wesley giggled. 

“Aw, he looks just like you, Jean-Luc. Except for the hair.” Walker snorted.

“Nice one, Louis.” Jean-Luc poked his friend with his elbow.

“Hey! You both know I had hair that colour when I was a child.” 

“Sure, and then it started to fall out. Just like your old man’s.” Louis leaned over and patted Wesley’s head. “Don’t get attached to that hair, kid.” Beverly rolled her eyes and Louis grinned. “So, did you two get married?” 

“Not yet. Beverly wanted to wait until after Wesley was born and he was a little independent.” Louis grinned.

“Ah, so you can go off and enjoy a honeymoon. Smart move, Beverly.” 

“Uhm...thank you, Louis. Are you still dating Colette?” 

“No, we broke up years ago.” Beverly wrinkled her nose. “Oh, sorry.” She strapped Wesley into the seat and he started banging his hands on the tray. Louis eyed the baby with trepidation.

“No harm done. Uh...is he alright?”

“Yes, he just wants something to eat. Jean-Luc? Can you order our food? Just something we can pick at and give Wes pieces of, too?” 

“Ploughmans and some soup?” 

“Mm, and a ginger ale for me, please.” Jean-Luc nodded. “I’ll see what they have. Louis, care to join us?” 

“Sure, I guess. I’ll have the same, but with a beer.” Jean-Luc nodded and Walker and him headed up to the bar to place their order. They came back over with a tray holding their drinks, a bowl of pretzels, and a bowl filled with slivers of oranges. Beverly eyed the oranges.

“What are the oranges for?”

“Wesley. I asked if they had any fruit. They had garnish. I figured cherries wouldn’t be good for him and I wasn’t sure about strawberries, so I asked for the oranges. Was that...was that alright?” Beverly beamed. “Perfect. You’re getting the hang of this father thing.” Beverly pulled the fruit off the rind and placed it on the tray. Wesley happily smashed the oranges in an attempt at putting them in his mouth and Louis continued to stare. “Is that...is that ok?” 

Jean-Luc chuckled at his friend. “Well, I don’t know for sure since this is only the second meal I’ve had with my son, but I’d say he’s fine. Bev?”

“Yep. He’ll eat a few pieces and make a sticky mess. That’s what cloths and bibs were made for. He’ll have his pureed food while we eat, and I’ll give him a few pieces off my plate. He’s only been eating solids for a week or so. The night before Jean-Luc came home, he threw a carrot at Robert.” 

Louis snorted. “I’d have paid to see that.” 

“Me too. Did you ever notice how Robert is a stick in the mud?” Louis grinned at Walker. 

“Did Jean-Luc ever tell you about the pranks we used to pull on Robert?”

“No! Johnny, you’re holding out on me, man!” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes.

“It was a long time ago-“

“Back when you had all your hair?” Jean-Luc glared.

“Quite.” Louis watched as Beverly continued to make sure Wesley could reach all of the fruit.

“Wow. You’re really good at this.” 

“Eh, I’m learning.” Plates and bowls were soon placed on the table and Wesley immediately made a grab for his father’s bowl of soup. “Nope, sorry Wes.” Jean-Luc carefully moved the bowl out of his son’s reach and broke off a chunk of the bread. “You can have this, though.”

Beverly expertly fed Wesley while she ate her dinner and Wesley didn’t get nearly as much on him as he had when Jean-Luc had fed him the night before. “How did you do that?” 

“Practice. Daddy’s just going to have to feed Wes more often!” He grinned .”But maybe only at home for now.” Beverly pulled out one of Wesley’s cups and handed it to Jean-Luc. “Could you get this filled with water please?” 

“Sure. Do we need to go someplace so you can breastfeed him?” Louis’ eyes bulged out and Beverly laughed as she shook her head. 

“Not unless he wants it. I don’t want to make Louis and Walker feel awkward.” Louis blushed.

“Sorry, Beverly. How do you know if he wants....breastfed?” Louis stumbled over the word and was careful not to look at Beverly’s chest when he asked. 

“When I pick him up. If he starts to....go towards them, it means he’s hungry.” 

“I see.” Louis continued to look a little uncomfortable, but Walker winked at his friend.

“Doesn’t bother me, Bev. Wouldn’t be the first time I saw your breasts, though usually it’s because I walked in on you guys,” Walker turned to Louis. “Never agree to live with these two.” Beverly threw a piece of bread at Walker and Wesley giggled. 

Jean-Luc returned with the cup and notice his son giggling. “Something has him in a good mood.”

“Yeah, his mother just threw food at me.” Jean-Luc grinned at Walker.

“I’m sure you deserved it.” He held out the small cup to Wesley. “Thirsty, Wes?” Wesley picked up the cup but needed Jean-Luc to help him drink out of it. 

“Wow, Jean-Luc. You’re both amazing. If I didn’t tell you already...congratulations.” 

“Thank you, Louis. It means a lot to me.” Beverly passed Jean-Luc a pre-moistened wash cloth and Jean-Luc set about cleaning the sticky mess off of Wesley’s hands and face. Wesley groused at having his face washed, but then Jean-Luc played peek-a-boo with the cloth and he was soon giggling again. 

“Right then, little boy. Shall we go change you?” Beverly rose to pick him up, but Jean-Luc touched her shoulder. “I’ll do it, Bev.” 

“Thanks. Everything you need is in the bag. Don’t forget his tendency to go when his diaper is removed so make sure you cover him!” Jean-Luc grinned. “I’m not about to forget _that_ in a hurry.” 

“Walker did last night.” Jean-Luc snorted and Walker turned red. “Why am I not surprised? Ok, Wes, let’s go get you a fresh pair of pants.”

Louis watched his old friend walk away with his son and couldn’t help but be in awe of his friend who had taken to fatherhood so easily...the same man who when they were younger, had said he wouldn’t have time for children because he wanted a career. Louis wondered how Jean-Luc was going to balance his Starfleet career and his family, but if he knew Jean-Luc as well as he thought he did, it would be easy.

###

“Madame Picard?” Beverly was lost in her own daydreams while Jean-Luc was changing Wesley and Louis and Walker had gone to fetch another round of drinks and didn’t notice when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry, do you prefer Madame Picard or Comtesse?” 

“Either, I guess. Oh ah...Doctor, actually.” The woman who had touched Beverly’ shoulder grinned at her. “I just wanted to tell you how lovely your family is and how great it is to see Jean-Luc genuinely happy.” Beverly smiled at the woman.

“Thank you. Madame?”

“Oh, you can call me Clair. Jean-Luc and I grew up together and attended the same village school. I know you’ve been attending the balls, but I’ve been away the past few years so we never got to meet.” 

“Well in that case, please call me Beverly.” Beverly held out her hand, but Clair swooped down and kissed Beverly on both her cheeks. 

“How old is your son?” 

“Nine months. His name is Wesley Robert. Wesley after my great-grandfather, and Robert after..”

“Jean-Luc’s brother? I’m surprised. They didn’t get along when we were younger. Did you know?” Beverly nodded.

“I had an inkling. But Robert has been special to me. He treated me well when Jean-Luc was on his ship and I was pregnant, and he and Jean-Luc seem to be getting along better now. Have you met Marie?” Clair nodded.

“Marie went to school with us too, even though she grew up in the next village.” 

Jean-Luc returned with Wesley, and passed him to Beverly. “Sorry that took so long. I couldn’t figure out the snaps!” There was a giggle, and Jean-Luc blushed as he hadn’t seen the other woman. “Clair! Beverly, this is Clair. We were in school together.” He quickly kissed Clair’s cheek in greeting.

“Yes, she was telling me.” 

“Uh-oh, I hope nothing too bad...” Beverly rolled her eyes.

“I already know you were a trouble maker from Robert and Louis.” Beverly turned a stern look at her son. “You better not grow up to be like your daddy....on the other hand, _do_ turn out like your father. I quite like him.” Jean-Luc grinned. 

“Can I hold him?” 

“Sure.” Beverly passed Wesley over to Clair, who quickly discovered Clair’s necklace and grabbed at it. “Wesley, no.”

“It’s alright. I don’t mind. You know, Jean-Luc, if you were to have told me even ten years ago that I would be holding your son...I’d have laughed.” Jean-Luc flushed.

“To be honest, it came as a surprise to me when I fell in love with Beverly. I wasn’t expecting it, either.” 

Clair beamed. “Well, you two are obviously happy. I see Louis and your other friend are on their way back with more drinks, so I’m going to leave you now. It was nice meeting you, Beverly.” She passed Wesley back to Jean-Luc and walked away before Louis and Walker got back.

“She called me Madame Picard.” Jean-Luc flushed again. “Sorry.”

“No, I..ah...liked it. But I told her it was Doctor.” He grinned and gently traced his finger down her cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

###

“And how was your day out?” Yvette carefully removed the sleeping Wesley from Jean-Luc’s arms as Beverly began to speak animatedly. 

“Oh, it was wonderful, Maman. We walked in the village, did a little shopping, and had lunch in the tavern. We ate lunch with Louis, and then ran into one of Jean-Luc’s friends. Uh...Clara?”

“Clair.”

“Sorry.” Jean-Luc shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” 

“My brain gets a little foggy still. Can I blame it on Wes?” Wesley stirred in his grandmother’s arms and stretched himself to his full length before yawning and going back to sleep . “See? He knew you were talking about him.” Beverly grinned. 

“I am going to put Wesley down in his crib. Jean-Luc, the kettle’s warm. Beverly’s decaf tea is in the green tin.” Jean-Luc grinned. “I know when I’ve been told. I’ll make the tea.” 

“Good boy. Beverly, why don’t you go sit in the conservatory? It’s nice and warm in there today.” 

“I think I need to go express some milk first. Wesley didn’t want to feed while we were out and I’m aching.” Jean-Luc looked over at her, alarmed. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need to get rid of the milk so fresh milk can be produced.” 

“What do you do with it?” 

“Same thing we’ve been doing for the past nine months. Freezing it in the cellar freezer in chunks for when Maman needs to feed Wesley while I’m at work.” 

“I’m home now.” Beverly grinned. “Then _you_ can feed Wes his bottle while I’m at work.” He grinned back. “Can I come with you?” 

“Uh...sure, but it’s not very glamorous.” He nodded. “I just want to be with you.” Walker shook his head at his lovesick friend.

“I guess I’ll make the tea?”

“Thank you, Walker.” They all headed upstairs, Yvette to place Wesley in his crib, and Beverly and Jean-Luc into their bedroom. Beverly got herself comfortable on the bed and pulled out the device from her bedside table. “You sure you want to stay? I mean, like I said, it’s not very glamorous. It kind of makes me feel like a cow.” 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. What can I do?” Beverly shrugged. “Well, unless I can unhook my breasts and give them to you, I’d say not much right now.” 

“Oh. Uh...sorry?” Beverly laughed. 

“It’s fine. Honest. I just hate this part, even if it’s necessary. Maman says he doesn’t drink a lot from his bottles when I’m at the hospital, but I like it to be available for him if he wants it. He usually only wants it when he wakes up and before bed lately. Must be from starting on solids.” Jean-Luc shook his head in wonder.

“I don’t know _anything_ about babies. You’re...amazing. Have I told you how much I love you lately?” Beverly grinned.

“Mmm, you can tell me again.” 

###

In the morning, they bade farewell to Walker before Beverly headed off to her shift at the hospital. 

“I’ll be back for you guys in...three months?” Beverly shook her head.

“We’ll see you sooner. We want to get married in two! Can’t get married without our best friends, can we?” Walker grinned. 

“I saw the ring on your finger, but I didn’t want to press. So you’re finally getting married?” Beverly nodded and Walker leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Congratulations, Bev.” 

“Thanks, Wally.” Jean-Luc saw his friend kissing his fiancée and he pretended to be mad at his friend.

“Oi, what are you doing kissing my wife?” Walker grinned and slid an arm around Beverly’s waist.

“She’s not your wife yet!” He leaned in to kiss her on her lips, but Beverly held up her hand to stop him.

“Go. Give Sora my love and tell her to call me after you go back to the ship.”

“Will do. See you soon, Lieutenant Commander Picard.” Walker mock saluted his friend and got a rude gesture in response. Jean-Luc wrapped his arm around Beverly’s shoulder and kissed her ear. 

“Mm, what time do you have to leave for work?”

“Ten. I like to get Wesley settled for his morning nap before I go.” Jean-Luc shook his head.

“I’m here now. I can do it. You should do something for yourself...read a book?” 

“Hmm, I just might take you up on that.” She turned her head and kissed him soundly. “Thanks!” Jean-Luc reached for her hand and squeezed it.

“Now that I’m home....please, let me take _some_ of the responsibility for our son.” Beverly beamed at her fiancée. 

“I think I can do that.”


	29. Chapter 29

“Doctor Keats thinks I should increase my hours to prepare me for being on the _Stargazer_ , what do you think?” Jean-Luc paused in spooning some porridge into Wesley’s mouth, and the ten-month-old squealed making his displeasure known. “Sorry, Wes.” Beverly took the spoon from Jean-Luc and finished feeding Wesley. 

“More important, what do _you_ think?” Jean-Luc rose to refill their coffee mugs. “Decaf?” She nodded.

“I think it probably would be a good thing since I only do the one twelve hour every two weeks, and I’ve only done a nightshift once. But...what about Wes?”

“Well, I’m not doing much for Captain Benilev right now. I have to go back to Command to do some interviews for him next week, and he asked me to find a suitable person for childcare...best way to find someone to take care of Wes and the other children on board is to bring Wesley with me and see how they react.” 

“You’d take Wesley with you to Command?” 

“Sure, why not?” 

“It’s...it’s awfully far away.” Jean-Luc frowned. “Couldn’t you come too? We won’t have our flat as it’s occupied by cadets, but what if I ask for some quarters....could you use the transporter to get to the hospital each day?” 

“I suppose it _would_ be a good thing to try to handle everything without your parent’s help. Too bad we can’t take Maman with us onto the _Stargazer_. But...the time difference is going to be tough. It’s...a ten-hour difference?” Jean-Luc nodded. “I suppose if I adjust my shifts to coincide with Pacific time, we could make it work.”

“I think if Maman could come with us, she would. So, it’s settled? I’ll make the arrangements and we’ll relocate next week for a few weeks?” Beverly nodded .”Yeah, alright. Oooh, and we’ll have a replicator, so less to pack!” 

###

Jean-Luc conducted the interviews with Wesley happily playing on a playmat in the corner of the office he had been given. Some of the cadets stopped to coo over him or asked if they could play with him, and others just ignored the baby in the corner, even when he started getting fussy. Two of the cadets picked up Wesley when he fussed, and when one of them felt his wet diaper, offered to change him for Jean-Luc. These were the two cadets Jean-Luc put forth to his captain as the candidates for the childcare position. 

Wesley had so far never been taken care of by anyone other than a family member or close family friend, and Jean-Luc and Beverly thought Wesley needed some exposure to other children and other adults, so they enrolled him in the Starfleet day care facility for a few weeks. Wesley did not like being left behind by his parents, and Beverly spent the first morning crying before she had to leave for her shift. At the end of the first day when they picked him back up, it took everything for Beverly not to quit her residency to stay home with him. She nursed him and rocked him to sleep in their temporary quarters and didn’t want to put him down in the crib. Jean-Luc struggled to understand how she felt, but then decided he didn’t need to understand it, he just needed to support her and help her as best as he could. 

Beverly’s grandmother arrived after they returned to France, and Beverly and Jean-Luc started planning their wedding, finally. They decided to hold off just a little longer for the main reason that they didn’t want their wedding anniversary to be so close to Wesley’ birthday, and Beverly was secretly hoping Wesley would take his first steps by the wedding. She picked a wedding date in August. Jean-Luc wasn’t expected back and she wasn’t expected to begin her residency on board until the end of September, so they could still be married in La Barre and even manage a honeymoon. 

Jean-Luc told Beverly to let him plan the honeymoon and she grinned, remembering their conversation long ago. Of course, they already had their first child, but that didn’t change her dreams much. 

To prepare Wesley for having a few days without either parent around, Beverly and Jean-Luc spent a few nights up in their loft – within easy distance if Wesley had any problems, but far enough away that they didn’t feel compelled to check on him through the night. Beverly had weaned Wesley down to breastfeeding only at bedtime, and was getting him to take a bottle instead, with the plans to wean him off entirely by his first birthday. It was a struggle for Beverly since she enjoyed breastfeeding him and having that close time with her son, but she also wanted Wesley to become a little more independent, especially with her shifts once they were on the _Stargazer._ She might not be available to help put him to bed each night and she didn’t want their small kitchen full of milk. She cried each night leading up to his birthday, but she knew she was doing the right thing. 

Jean-Luc and Wesley were playing in the loft while Beverly was at work. It was a few days before Wesley’s first birthday, and the boy was beginning to assert himself in ways that amazed Jean-Luc. Wesley knew three words – mama, dada, and baba, which was Wesley’s word for Baby. He also already had an order to his toys and would get very upset if his toys weren’t lined up in front of him in a very specific way. Beverly said that was Jean-Luc’s personality showing because Jean-Luc had a specific order to his clothing and belongings, wheras Beverly was a bit more random. Fortunately, the two managed a decent compromise.

Jean-Luc watched Wesley walk around the perimeter of the bed, holding onto the blanket with one hand as he toddled around. Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide and he gasped when Wesley removed his hand from the bed to reach out for Baby and managed to take two steps before he landed on his bottom with a giggle. _I can’t tell Beverly_. Jean-Luc picked up Wesley and kissed his forehead. “Promise me you’ll do that for Mommy this afternoon when she gets home.”

“Baba!” Jean-Luc grinned and placed Wesley back on the floor. Baby, who had been grooming herself, took no notice of the small fingers that sank into her long fur. “Remember ,Wes. Pet Baba nicely. Like this,” Jean-Luc stroked Baby gently on her back and she purred. Wesley giggled from the noise and tried to copy his father. “Good job, Wesley!” 

Beverly found “her boys” as she called them still in the loft when she came home. “Escaping from Maman?” She grinned as she leaned down and kissed Jean-Luc. “Escaping from the wedding plans. Can’t we just have a simple ceremony?” He pulled Beverly down onto the floor and Wesley giggled. “Mama!”

“Missed you, Wes.” She leaned over and kissed his head before settling against Jean-Luc’s chest. “We _are_ having a simple wedding. Trust me. If you had seen the plans Jack’s mother had made....” She trailed off and looked down. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. You know, Phil’s mother had a guest list of over 200? Do we even _have_ 200 people invited to ours?” Beverly shook her head. “About fifty, I think. And that includes the wedding party. Is Captain Quinn really going to marry us?” Jean-Luc nodded. “He offered when I called to invite him.” 

“Good. I’ve settled on asking Sora to be my maid of honour, and Marie as my matron of honour. I know it’s not _quite_ traditional, but...”

“It’s what you want. Which is good, because I simply can’t decide if I’d rather ask Walker or Robert to stand up with me.”

“Ah, then it’s settled. You’ll have both.” 

Wesley scooted over to the edge of the bed and pulled himself up. Jean-Luc grinned. “Wes has been practicing against the bed all day. We might have a walker soon.” 

“I hope so. On the other hand...there’s a lot of babyproofing to do if he is walking. Papa said he was making baby gates for the stairs.” Beverly and Jean-Luc watched Wesley and when he got to the corner, he lifted both hands from the bed. Beverly clutched Jean-Luc’s hand and quietly watched as her baby carefully stepped away from the bed without assistance. Wesley took five steps towards his parents before he landed on his bottom. Beverly had tears leaking from her eyes as she leaned over towards Wesley and kissed his forehead. “Good job, Wes! Come on, get back up and keep going!” 

###

Beverly was excited. She had checked the weather grid forecast for the area they would be visiting and to her delight there would be lots of snow, despite it only being early September. She pulled out her cold weather gear from the closet and packed it giddily. She hadn’t needed any of that since moving off Caldos. The winters in La Barre got cold and it _did_ snow, but nothing like what it would be like up a mountain, or what it had been like on Caldos, which her nana always said had the same climate as the Scottish Highlands. Beverly wondered if she should visit the highlands, and decided to ask Jean-Luc about it. Maybe she could take her nana there as a gift for the woman who had raised her. 

Jean-Luc walked into their room after putting Wesley back to bed and saw the explosion of clothing on their bed. “Packing for a month? We’re only going for a week.” 

“Just trying to find all my cold weather clothing. “ Jean-Luc picked up a one-piece thermal. “Very sexy.” Beverly grabbed it back and threw the long underwear at him.

“Shhh, you! It’ll keep me warm if we go on a walk.” Jean-Luc turned the garment over in his hands. “But...how do you _wear_ it? What if you need to pee?” 

“It has snaps.” Jean-Luc grinned and Beverly smacked him. “No.” He pouted. “I am _not_ getting frostbite on my private parts!” 

“Not even on the balcony?”

“Hmm. Maybe.” Beverly took the thermals from Jean-Luc and placed them in her bag. “What about you? Are you done packing already?” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck “Well, I thought I was...but maybe I need to pack some thermals.” Beverly nodded. “And a hat, scarf, and gloves.” 

“We _could_ replicate things when we get there, you know.”

“I know. But if we already have it, might as well take it.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Ah, spoken like a person who grew up without a replicator.” 

“Yep. But you didn’t either!” 

“I know, but I _really_ like having one.” Beverly grinned back. “Uh, me too.” 

“Think Papa will ever let Maman get one?” Beverly snorted. “Doubtful. But I don’t think Maman really wants one either.” 

“You might be right. Maman doesn’t seem to mind going into town for supplies...or sending me. I bet as soon as Wesley’s old enough, she’ll start sending him. When I was younger, I used to get out of helping Papa by offering to go to town for Maman.” 

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Beverly folded the last of the items on the bed into her case but left it open. “Right, should we go see what thermals you have?”

“Sure. I’m not sure if all of my boxes were unpacked when we moved my things into here, so it might be in boxes at the back of the closet.” He started pulling out boxes. “Oh, hey, I found my old models. We’ll have to save those for Wesley.” 

Beverly rolled her eyes. “Clothing, Jean-Luc. We’re looking for clothing.” 

“Right.” He finally found the box labelled “winter clothes” and put it on the bed. “How much colder will it be than it gets here in the winter?” 

“Well, the weather grid forecast said snow every day, and the high doesn’t even reach zero.” 

“Wow. Maybe I should have picked someplace tropical. I’m sorry.” Beverly shook her head. “No, I love this idea! You know how much I love snow. Besides, if it’s cold, we’ll just have to cuddle.” Beverly pawed through the box and pulled out a pair of thermals. She folded it into her suitcase and paused. “Do you think Wesley will be alright?” 

Jean-Luc kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’ll be with his grandparents – all three of them – plus Marie and Robert _and_ his godparents.” Beverly smiled. “It was nice of Walker and Sora to arrange for enough shore leave to stay while we were away.” Jean-Luc snorted. “What?”

“Bev, they’re sleeping together again.”

“No!” 

“Yep. Trust me. I used to share quarters with Walker, remember?” Beverly hit Jean-Luc with a pair of thermal pants. “You never told me!”

“I assumed Sora told you they were back together.” Beverly shook her head. “Nope. So they’re using their time here as a little vacation together?”

“Looks like it.”

“Hmm. Should we let them use our loft?” Jean-Luc’s arms circled her waist. “I suppose we could. Let them discover some of the magic.” She grinned. “By the way, Sora and I are sleeping up there tomorrow night.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s the night before the wedding. You’re not supposed to see me.” 

“Oh.” He dropped a kiss on her ear. “Wouldn’t it be better if Walker and I sleep out there? I assume you’ll be getting ready here? Walker and I can get ready in the barn with Robert.” Beverly turned around and kissed him. “That would be perfect. Thanks.” Jean-Luc growled and nuzzled her neck. “Are we done packing?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because if I’m not sleeping with you tomorrow night, I intend on making the most of tonight.”

###

Walker clapped Jean-Luc on the back. “You sure about this, buddy?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Walker....I’ve wanted to marry Beverly since we were nineteen. I’m pretty sure I’m ready now. “ Walker snorted. “Went about it a little backwards though, didn’t you? A kid first, then marriage?” Jean-Luc shoved his best friend.

“Shut up.” 

Robert came up to the friends and placed an arm on Jean-Luc’s shoulder. “I’m just glad you had a kid first. Put the pressure off me and Marie.” Jean-Luc snorted. “Yeah, well...once we leave....” Robert shook his head. “Can’t you take Maman with you?” 

Maurice knocked on the door to the barn. “I have a little person who wants to see his Daddy.” 

Maurice held onto Wesley’s hands as he toddled into the barn, clad in a miniature suit. Jean-Luc grinned and swooped up the boy. Wesley began babbling to his father and Jean-Luc was busy nodding. “I know, Wes. It was very rude of Uncle Walker.” 

“Hey!” 

“Papa, is Beverly ready?” Maurice nodded. “She asked me to bring Wesley to you and then escort her over. Your mother said she’ll take Wes after she arrives.” 

“No, it’s alright. Beverly and I want Wesley to be with us on the dais. It’s important to us.” 

“Alright.” Walker fished a ribbon out of Wesley’s tiny pocket and delicately tied Beverly’s ring to the ribbon. “You look after that, Wes.” Wesley grinned at his uncle. 

“Kay!” Jean-Luc grinned. ‘Kay’ had been Wesley’s fourth word. His fifth however, had been ‘no’, much to their amusement and annoyance. 

“Alright, I’m ready.” Jean-Luc, Walker, and Robert strode across the vineyard and out onto the worn path leading to the village chapel. Captain Quinn was waiting for them alongside the mayor and Quinn smiled when he saw Wesley. “A fine young man you have here, Commander.” 

“Thank you, Sir.” 

###

Jean-Luc was holding Wesley in his arms as Beverly was escorted down the aisle by his father. When Wesley saw Beverly, he clapped his hands and called out “Mama!” which made everyone laugh. Beverly passed her bouquet to Sora and took Wesley from Jean-Luc before Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks.” 

Captain Quinn beamed at the young family and began the ceremony. “When Lieutenant Commander Picard stood in my ready room and told me this beautiful woman next to him was having his baby, I told him I expected an invitation to the wedding. So it is my pleasure to be standing before you all today to join Jean-Luc and Beverly in marriage.” 

Jean-Luc fumbled to fish Beverly’s ring out of Wesley’s pocket and grinned as he placed it on her finger. The two of them wearing rings wasn’t anything new, since they had been wearing promise rings to each other for many years, but there was something beautiful about finally being able to slide a wedding band onto Beverly’s finger. 

Beverly had tears in her eyes as she started placing Jean-Luc’s ring on his finger, and then started laughing when Wesley tried to grab the ring instead. Jean-Luc held out his arms and balanced Wesley on his hip while Beverly slid his ring onto his finger, and after they were pronounced husband and wife, he kissed her and then they each kissed Wesley’s cheeks. 

They held the reception at the house. It was such a small group, and this way it would be easier to put Wesley to bed. Beverly and Jean-Luc changed out of their wedding clothes before giving Wesley his bath and putting him to bed. They weren’t leaving for their honeymoon until the morning, but planned on spending the night up in their loft and Yvette was going to keep an eye on Wesley.

In the morning, Beverly fed Wesley his breakfast and they each kissed him goodbye. Beverly had tears in her eyes and Jean-Luc honestly wondered if they would stay away for the full week.

###

“This is beautiful!” Beverly stepped out of the transportation centre and took a deep breath of chilly air. Baby let out a pitiful meow from her basket. “Aw, is it too cold for you, Baby? Don’t worry, we’ll be indoors soon.” Jean-Luc shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you brought her with us.”

“If I go, Baby goes. Besides, _you’re_ the one who asked the hotel!” 

“Yeah, but I am surprised you didn’t leave her home to look after Wes.” Beverly laughed. “I thought about it, but Baby is used to going everywhere I go. But , let’s not have an argument.” Jean-Luc unwound her scarf so he could place a kiss on her lips. “Never.” 

The hotel turned out to be a much smaller guest house than Jean-Luc had thought, with nine apartments on three floors. They had an apartment on the top and Beverly was blown away with the view . They had a clear view straight across a valley to the mountains on the other side. The mountains and their surroundings were shrouded in snow, but the sky was clear and blue. 

The fireplace had already been turned on, and they had thoughtfully placed a small bed for Baby in front of the fire. Once Beverly turned Baby out of her carrier, she headed straight for the cushion and curled up. “Well, I think she likes it.” 

Jean-Luc wandered back into the bedroom and Beverly heard him exclaim “Wow!”, so she followed. The bedroom had floor-to-ceiling windows covering one wall with a glass door opening out onto the private balcony. The wall of windows continued into the bathroom, and Beverly raised her eyebrows. “Uhm...isn’t that a little...”

Jean-Luc went out onto the balcony and walked back towards the bathroom windows. “Oh, this is neat. It’s some kind of holographic field where we can see out but no one can see in....but we’re also halfway up a mountain on the top floor, so I’m not sure anyone _could_ see in.” Jean-Luc came back in to marvel at the wall from the inside.

“Hmm. So we have a large tub and shower...where’s the toilet?” Jean-Luc opened a door in the bathroom. “In here.” 

“Convenient.” Beverly walked over to a panel in the wall. She pressed a button on the panel and gasped when the ceiling seemed to disappear giving a view of the sky and the mountains. “Oh!”

Jean-Luc grinned. “You told me you always wished our bathtub was outside.”

“Is it a force field?” Jean-Luc nodded. Beverly spun to look at him. “You knew, didn’t you?” Jean-Luc drew Beverly into his arms. “Why do you think I picked this place?” Beverly kissed him. “Mm, you are good to me, Mister Picard.”

“I love you, _Mrs Picard_.” Beverly shivered. “I like that, but please, it’s _Doctor_.” 

“Mmm. _Doctor_ Picard. Want to try out our bathtub?”

“Now that’s a silly question. I suppose you already have the bath salts?” Jean-Luc walked out of the bathroom to their suitcase and opened it. “I asked Maman for the special ones you like.” 

They watched the sunset from their bath and Beverly leaned back against Jean-Luc. “Do you think Wesley is alright?”

“Well, no one called us yet.” 

“You told everyone where we were going?” He shook his head .”No, only Maman and Papa. I thought we ought to be reachable just in case. And I _do_ have my communicator on me, but if Walker thinks I’m going to answer it, he has another thing coming.” 

“Can we call to check on Wes?” Jean-Luc leaned down and kissed Beverly’s shoulder. “Of course. Why don’t you call home while I make dinner arrangements in the restaurant?” 

“Thanks. I love you.”

“I love you too, _wife.”_

Beverly came out into the living room twenty minutes later, fully dressed. “Maman says Wes is fine. I feel a little miffed that he doesn’t miss us.” Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around her. “He’s probably too little to realise the passage of time.”

“You think so?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I don’t know. I never studied child development.” Beverly snorted. “I didn’t really, either. Paediatrics wasn’t my specialty, but I know enough to treat any children on board our ship.”

“Our ship?”

“Well, when you get a ship of your own.” 

“Your faith in me is commendable.” 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a few time jumps in this chapter, FYI

**2331**

Beverly picked up Wesley from the ship’s daycare and smiled at her son. “How was your day, Wes?” 

“Mamma up?” Wesley lifted his arms and Beverly picked him up and balanced him on her hip. She glanced over at one of the caregivers. “How was he today?” 

“Well...” Caryn hedged. Beverly frowned. “I thought so. He’s been pretty terrible lately. He’s getting a few new teeth and it’s making him miserable. But, the good news for you is we’re going on shore leave to visit the Captain’s family for two weeks, so hopefully his tooth will come in while we’re at home.” Caryn gave Beverly a sympathetic look. “How long is the trip back?” Beverly grinned.

“Twelve hours. Lieutenant Commander Keel is coming along too. It’s going to be fun in that shuttle, let me tell you.” Beverly smoothed down Wesley’s hair. “Say bye-bye to Miss Caryn, Wes. You’ll see her when we get back from visiting Mémé and Pépé.”

“Bye bye!” Caryn smiled. “Bye Wes. See you when you get back.” 

Beverly was halfway down the corridor when Wesley wanted to be put down. She reached for his hand to keep him from running and he held onto her firmly. “Where Dadda?”

“Daddy is at work, Sweetheart. He’ll be home before dinner.”

“Wessy play?” Beverly nodded and tried to stifle her laugh. Wesley was unable to say his own name, so called himself ‘Wessy’. “You may play until Daddy gets home, then it’s dinner time, bath time, and bedtime.” Wesley seemed to accept the terms and they arrived at their quarters.

“Wessy buttons?” She quikly put in the first three numbers for their code, and picked him up and held him in front of the number pad.

“Ok. Press the button with the number three on it.” Wesley reached out a chubby finger and stabbed the three. “Now find me the number eight.” Wesley tentatively reahed for the eight and looked up at his mother. “That’s right, Wes. Now we need a number two.” 

“Wessy two!”

“Yes you are. Can you find me the two?” Wesley pressed the two and Beverly hit the enter key for their door to slide open. It would have been a lot faster if Beverly had just entered the full code on her own, but ever since Wesley had started identifying numbers, she and Jean-Luc took every opportunity to have him use his skills. 

Beverly glanced at the corner of their suite and sighed. She hadn’t had time to pick up Wesley’s toys before her shift, and it looked like Jean-Luc hadn’t been home at all that day either, as she had sent him a message asking him if he could do it if he came home. “Oh well, he’s just going to make a mess again.” Beverly eyed her son.

“Does Wesley need to go potty?” 

“Nooooooo.” Wesley shook his head. Beverly raised her eyebrows at her toddler. “Are you sure?”

“Nooooooo.” 

“That’s what I thought. Come on, let’s change you and get you on the potty.” 

Jean-Luc entered their quarters and frowned when he saw all the toys cleaned up. Beverly had asked him if he would do it, and he had told her he would as soon as he had time. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to get away from the bridge at all during the day and he had been planning on cleaning the toys up that evening. 

“Dadda!” Wesley toddled over to his father and Jean-Luc picked him up. “Hey Squirt.” Wesley giggled. The nickname Jean-Luc had given to Beverly’s bump seemed to have stuck. Jean-Luc looked around for Beverly. “Where’s Mommy?” 

“Mommy potty.” Jean-Luc heard the toilet flush and Beverly came out into the living room. He kissed her. “You didn’t have to clean up the toys. I was going to do it.”

“I know. It just bothered me.” 

“Ok. As long as you didn’t think I forgot.” Beverly grinned. “Nah. Are we ready to go tomorrow?” Wesley struggled to be put down so Jean-Luc lowered him before answering. “All set. We have one of the larger shuttles. Sora is going to meet us in La Barre and then I think she and Walker are going away together for a few days.” 

“Good. They deserve to be together. It’s a shame we don’t need another doctor on board.” He grinned.

“We do?”

“Well...Ok, here’s the situation. Doctor Ambrose has accepted a position on Starbase one two four We _can’t_ put you in a position higher than Sora since you both have the same rank and experience, but we’ve convinced Command to allow us to have two junior doctors...so congratulations, you’re being promoted to Assistant Chief Medical Officer along with Sora!” Beverly’s jaw dropped. “Really?” 

“Yes, really. And, uhm. It comes with a promotion to full Lieutenant.” 

“Wow. I accept!” Jean-Luc grinned. “Brilliant! Shall we celebrate after we put the little monster to bed?” 

“Mm. Speaking of monster...he apparently was terrible at school today.” Jean-Luc frowned. “Tooth?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s going to be a long trip back to Earth if he’s going to be horrible the whole time.” 

“What about that stuff you used when he was a baby?” Beverly shook her head. “It’s not strong enough, and he’s too little to have adult pain remedy. I haven’t had time to look up what a toddler could have.” Jean-Luc grinned at his wife.”Well, there’s always Papa’s solution....” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Whisky.”

“Yep. Why don’t we dab a bit on before bed and see what happens?” Beverly smirked. 

“You know, I should be saying no, but it’ll probably help him sleep.” Jean-Luc smirked back. 

“I’ll get the bottle down.”

Wesley made a face at bedtime when Beverly asked him to open his mouth and she gently dabbed on a small amount of Whisky. “Yuck.”

“I know, but it’ll make your tooth feel better and help you sleep.” 

“’M not sleepy, Momma.” Beverly laughed as she finished getting Wesley into his pyjamas and Jean-Luc got out the storybook. Wesley was asleep before page two.

###

“Bev, want to pilot?” 

“What? And take the honour away from the Second Officer or Chief Engineer?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Just thought you might want to keep your skills current, Sweetheart.” 

“Maybe when we’re _not_ travelling with our child?” Jean-Luc grinned. “Afraid you’ll be distracted?” She nodded and glanced back into the shuttle where Wesley was dumping his bag of toys on the deck and their faithful family cat started to bat at one of the blocks. He looked up and smiled at his parents and roamed forward. “Dadda Up?”

“Sure,” Jean-Luc picked up Wesley and sat him in his lap. Wesley glanced at the controls in front of him and reached for one of the blinking buttons. Jean-Luc caught Wesley’s hand in his. “No,Wes.” He grinned at his wife. “I see what you mean.” 

“Yep. Come here, Squirt. Let’s leave Daddy and Uncle Wally to fly the ship. You can play with Daddy later.” Wesley pouted, but allowed Beverly to take him from his father’s lap. “Did you bring the playpen?” 

“Yep. It’s already set up in the crew quarters.” 

“Great. I’m going to see if I can put him down for a nap.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss and Walker whistled. “Where’s my kiss?”

“Ask Sora for one.” Walker grinned. “I intend to, Bev.” 

###

“Beverly,” Yvette pulled her daughter-in-law aside shortly after they arrived and Jean-Luc was unloading the shuttle. “How is Wesley doing?”

“He’s fine, Maman. He’s enjoying the ship. I’m not sure Baby does, though.” Yvette smiled. “Well, if you want to leave her here, you can.” Beverly glanced over at her cat who was regally sitting on a cushion in the conservatory, soaking up the sun. “I’ll think about it. On one hand, I think she’ll be happier with more access to the sun and more freedom to move, but on the other...what if she misses us? And I’d miss her for sure. She’s been my constant companion now for eight years. And Wesley loves her.” Yvette patted her arm. “I know. But, what I wanted to talk to you about was the Shalaft’s Syndrome. Has Wesley shown any signs of it?” 

Beverly shook her head .”Not yet. I know it’s foolish of me to think it will have skipped a generation.” Yvette smiled. “Yes, Maurice and I had hoped the same thing when Robert and Jean-Luc were both Wesley’s age, and Jean-Luc’s grandmere told me she had hoped the same for her sons.” Beverly frowned. “Well, if I can, I’d like to research this and maybe Wesley’s generation will be the last Picards to experience it, especially when I have three generations of Picard men to study.” Felisa shook her head. “And you expect to get any of them to sit still for an exam?” Beverly grinned. “Well, I think I can work my charm on my husband. And Wesley’s pretty easy to bribe with a lollipop. But Papa....hmm. I really just need to scan him with my tricorder and get a quick DNA sample.” 

“He just might let you. After all, you’re his _Princesse_ and he adores Wesley. He would do anything for that boy.” Beverly smiled again. “That he does. He currently is showing Wesley the vineyard...and I would guess trying to keep Wesley from eating the grapes!” The two women laughed. “Ah, Maurice won’t be angry, but you might want to have a stomach ache remedy handy. I remember the days of Jean-Luc and Robert stuffing their faces with grapes when they went out with _their_ grandfather and getting horribly sour stomachs from it.” 

“Did I hear my name?” Jean-Luc dropped a kiss on Beverly’s cheek and then his mother’s. “You did. I was just telling Beverly to have a stomach ache remedy handy for Wesley if he’s out in the vines with Maurice.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “Good idea. “

###

Beverly slumped into their quarters after her shift. Jean-Luc had picked up Wesley from child care and she absently kissed his head before collapsing onto the sofa. Jean-Luc handed her a glass of wine. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t know,” Beverly shook her head. “Am I talking to one of my superiors or to my husband?” Jean-Luc grinned. “Definitely husband.”

“Mm, good. But after we get Wesley in bed. I don’t want him picking up on anything.” 

“Ok. _Bouillabaisse_ for dinner alright?” Beverly turned around to look at him. “Maman’s recipe?”

“Of course. I’m going to replicate some chicken nuggets for Wes. I remember the last time we tried to feed him fish.” Beverly grinned. “I’m not cleaning _that_ up again.” 

“No. So, as your superior, I’ve given you the day off tomorrow, and coincidentally, it’s my day off too. We can do something as a family.” 

“Good. We can take Wesley to the recreational facility and swim.” Jean-Luc groaned. “What’s wrong with that idea?”

“Last time I took Wesley swimming he...uh, _went_ in the pool.” Beverly laughed. “You never told me!”

“I was too embarrassed to tell you.” Beverly shook her head. “Did you sit Wes on the toilet before you went into the pool?” 

“No.” Beverly smugly smiled. “That’s why. If you sit him on the toilet, nine times out of ten, he has to go and hasn’t realised it.”

“Oh. Oops. I mean, I didn’t yell at him for it, I just activated the servo to clean the pool. Fortunately, we were the only ones there. Then I took him into the shower and we cleaned up. He was upset, but I told him it was ok, that accidents happen....did I do the right thing?” Beverly rose from the sofa and walked over to her husband and kissed him. “Yes, you did the right thing.” 

“Daddy will you read?” Wesley held out a book to Jean-Luc and he grinned. “Before or after dinner?”

“Both!” 

“Can’t really argue with that, can I?”

“Nuh-uh.”

Beverly noticed that as Jean-Luc read to their son, Wesley tugged on his ears. Her heart sank. Obviously, the Shalaft’s Syndrome was taking hold and they would need to take him to a Starfleet hospital for his surgery. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Sora or Doctor Vindy, but she would feel better taking him to a specialist for the delicate surgery. 

“Daddy, it’s too loud!” Jean-Luc looked over at Beverly, who shook her head sadly. Jean-Luc dropped his voice to a whisper. “Sorry, Squirt.” He continued to read in a lower, softer pitch and Wesley soon fell asleep nestled in his father’s arms. “Well, that was unintended. Think he’ll sleep straight through?” 

“He might wake up hungry in a few hours, but let’s change him into his pyjamas and see if he stays asleep.” 

Over their dinner, they spoke in low tones about Wesley’s ears. “I’m sorry. I never thought about passing this on to my children. It was...awful. I can remember every little tiny noise would set me off and make me cry. I don’t want to see my son have to deal with all that. Can we do something about it before it gets worse?” Beverly nodded. 

“I can look up which doctors are familiar with the disease and procedure and contact them.” 

“You or Sora can’t do it?” 

“Neither one of us specialised in Paediatrics, remember? And I don’t...I don’t really _want_ to perform surgery on my baby.” Jean-Luc nodded. “What about Doctor Keats? She was my doctor when I was a child, though I’m not sure if she performed the surgery.” 

“I’ll try to reach her tonight. She might know someone closer to our position who can help, too.” Their dinner was interrupted by the sound of Wesley’s footie pyjamas swishing out into the main area. “Mommy, I’m hungry.” 

“Ok, baby,” Baby the cat looked up from her spot snoozing and Beverly laughed. “Not you, Baby. Wesley, baby.”

“’M not a baby!” Beverly grinned.

“You’ll always be my baby .Now, do you want some of our dinner or do you want Daddy to get you some chicken nuggets?” 

“What is it?”

“ _Bouillabaisse.”_ Wesley gave his mother a blank look.

“Fish stew.”

“Eww.” 

“Nuggets it is.”

###

 _“Beverly, it’s good to hear from you. How are things on the_ Stargazer? _”_ Beverly grinned at one of her former mentors. “It’s great. Being joint assistant chief has been brilliant. Especially sharing the job with Sora. But I actually called with a medical query.”

 _“Go ahead_.”

“Did you treat Jean-Luc when he had Shalaft’s Syndrome?” Keats nodded. _“I did. We had to perform surgery and put tube in his ears. Why? Is something wrong with Jean-Luc’s hearing?”_ Beverly shook her head. “No, with Wes. We think he’s starting to develop it and I was wondering..well, a few things, actually. First, do you think we can head it off before it gets so bad? Jean-Luc said he remembers wearing earplugs and ear proctors because even the tiniest noise upset him. And Second..could you do the surgery for Wes?” 

_“Yes, I think if we had a scan that showed the problem we could fix it before it became a bigger problem, and of course I’d be willing to perform the surgery. How close are you to Earth?_ ”

“A few days in a shuttle. It would be an awful trip, but worth it to have Wesley taken care of by someone we trust.” 

_“I’m flattered, Beverly, but I’m sure there must be a base closer?”_

“We’re near Starbase thirty-two.”

 _“Ah, I know the Doctor there. Doctor Quaice. Lovely man. His specialty is neurobiology, but I’m sure he could help.”_ Beverly hedged. “We...ah...don’t leave the ship on Starbase thirty-two.”

_“Why not?”_

“Uhm.....Jean-Luc’s ex is stationed there and she...well, she didn’t take their break up well. I don’t want her near our son.” 

_“I see. Then by all means, make your arrangements to bring Wesley to me as soon as possible.”_ Beverly smiled. “Thanks, Doctor Keats.”

 _“Beverly, we’ve been working together for a long time. Please call me Carolyn.”_ Beverly nodded and Carolyn Keats studied Beverly’s face. _“So, Beverly, I can tell you’re still troubled. What else can I do to help?”_ Beverly looked down.

“No, I’m fine.”

_“Really? You don’t look it. Are you and Jean-Luc alright?”_

“Oh, absolutely. We’re thinking about trying for a second baby soon.” Carolyn Keats grinned. _“That’s wonderful! So it must be something job-related, then.”_ Beverly frowned.

“I lost my first patient today.” 

_“Oh. I’m sorry. Are you alright?”_ Beverly shook her head .

”I cried.” Carolyn smiled. 

_“When I lost my first patient, I threw up. It’s natural to be upset. Have you had any time to process it?”_ Beverly shook her head.

“Not really. I came home and Jean-Luc was making dinner, then we read to Wesley and he started tugging on his ear, so I was worried for him and haven’t even spoken with Jean-Lu about what happened, though he obviously knows as part of the command team.” 

_“You should. And you should take some time for Beverly. I know, it’s hard. You’re Doctor Beverly, Mommy Beverly, and Wife Beverly, but don’t forget about Beverly Beverly.”_ Beverly shook her head. “There’s just not enough time in the day.” 

_“Make some. It’s the best advice I can give you as a fellow doctor, mother, and wife. Do your quarters have a bathtub?”_

“Yes, thankfully or bathing Wesley would be a nightmare!” Keats chuckled. _“I want you to go take a bath tonight. Take in a trashy novel and a glass of wine and just have a soak. Invite Jean-Luc if you want, but really take some time to yourself. Do you still write in your journal?”_

“Not often.” 

_“You should give yourself time. Try and find twenty minutes each day to yourself. It’s important for your mental health, Beverly. Promise me?”_

“I promise.” Keats grinned. _“Wonderful. I’ll see you in a few days. Keats out.”_

###

Wesley’s ears deteriorated over the next few days while Jean-Luc made arrangements to borrow a shuttle and to get emergency leave approved for the two of them. Captain Benilev understood, naturally, but it was convincing command to give both parents the leave that was proving to be a bit hard. Wesley would cry whenever he was around lots of people, so Beverly and Jean-Luc had to take turns staying with him in their quarters instead of taking him to the daycare. If they both needed to be somewhere on the ship, then Walker or Sora would stay with him. The only thing that seemed to sooth Wesley was Baby, who was very protective over her human brother. Baby would sleep in Wesley’s bed with him and would purr into one of his ears, soothing him. 

Armed with earplugs and noise cancelling headphones, they attempted to leave their quarters several times, but the noises that snuck in still proved to be too much. Sora suggested a light sedative for the boy, which Beverly was loath to accept, but she realised that perhaps keeping him asleep for large portions of the trip back to Earth would be better for him.

Jean-Luc had alerted his parents that they would be returning and Yvette told him she had prepared the loft for the family to use to keep Wesley isolated away from the general noise of the house. Jean-Luc carried the sleeping toddler and Yvette placed a kiss on his forehead. “My poor baby.” Yvette spoke softly to Jean-Luc and Beverly. “We moved an extra bed into the loft for Wesley, and your father had a bathroom installed. Finally.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Thanks, Maman. Let me put Wesley down and you can give us a tour.”

“It’s not much. Just a bathroom and a small kitchen area for you to use and sitting area. I don’t want you to feel like we’re kicking you out of the house, but I thought this might be better for Wesley for now.”

“It’s perfect. Thanks, Maman.”

Beverly hated seeing her son on the biobed. Keats patted her shoulder and asked if she wanted to be in the room while the surgery was happening, but Beverly shook her head. It was hard enough knowing her baby needed a procedure done, she didn’t want to watch it happening. 

Jean-Luc held her in his arms while they waited on the uncomfortable sofa in the family waiting room. They had discussed trying for a second child, but seeing Wesley deal with Shalaft’s made Jean-Luc pause and wonder if they should have a second child knowing the possibility that if they had a second boy, he would develop Shalft’s. As far as Jean-Luc knew, the disease didn’t affect the girls in the family, but there hadn’t been many before or after his Tante Adele. He hadn’t spoken with his aunt in many years, not since she left when he was a boy. With a start, Jean-Luc realised that his relationship with Robert almost mirrored Adele’s with his father and he was suddenly grateful he and Robert had become close again. He pressed a kiss to Beverly’s head. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m alright. I just hate seeing our baby like that.” Jean-Luc squeezed her hand. “I know. Have you made any progress with researching the disease?” She shook her head. “Not really. It’s a shame I can’t have a Picard female’s DNA to look at for comparison...I have Maman’s and mine, but of course, we’re not Picards.” Jean-Luc frowned. “We _could_ try contacting my Tante Adele. We were close when I was a child, but then she and Papa had a falling out.” 

“Do you know how to reach her?”

“I know she moved to Canada. Hopefully, it won’t be too hard to find her to send her a letter.” Beverly leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.” 

They were called back to see Wesley, who was happily sitting up on the bed drinking a glass of milk when his parents walked in the room. “Mommy! Daddy!” 

Beverly kissed the top of Wesley’s head. “Are you feeling better, baby?”

“Uh-huh. Doc’r Keats said I all better now.”

“Good.” 

###

“Daddy, Mommy is sick.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his son’s greeting when he entered their quarters at the end of his shift. 

“Oh?”

“Mommy threwed up.” 

“I see. And are _you_ sick too?” Wesley vigorously shook his head .”Nuh-uh.” 

“Well, that’s a relief. Is Mommy in bed now?” 

“Uh-huh. With Baby. She ask ed me to play by myself until you got home. I’m thirsty. Can I have a drink?” 

“What do we say?”

“Please?” Jean-Luc grinned and ruffled Wesley’s hair. “Alright, I’ll get you a drink. Why don’t you pick out a book while I check on Mommy and we’ll read a bit before dinner?”

“Ok.” Wesley retreated back to his bedroom and Jean-Luc quickly replicated a cup of apple juice for Wesley, which he left on the low coffee table, and a cup of ginger tea before entering his and Beverly’s bedroom. 

“Bev? Sweetheart?”

“Hi,” Beverly pushed herself into a sitting position and accepted the cup of tea. “Thanks.”

“Mm, Wesley said you were throwing up?” Beverly shrugged. “Yeah. Must be a mild bout of food poisoning. I feel fine otherwise.” 

“Hmm.” Jean-Luc rummaged in Beverly’s bedside table and pulled out a tricorder. “Scan yourself.”

“Jean-Luc, I’ll be fine. This kind of thing usually lasts for a few days. I’ll just have to call off and drink lots of fluids. It must have happened when I left my lunch out the other day and then ate it later.” Jean-Luc shook his head at his wife. “Humour me.”

“Alright. Pass it over.” Beverly began to scan herself and she paused when she looked at the readouts. “You knew?”

“I suspected. How far along do you think you are?” 

“Probably not very far. I do remember feeling like this when I was pregnant with Wesley after only a few weeks, but I first thought I picked up something at the hospital, and then just thought it was nerves related to...well..everything that was going on then.” Jean-Luc leaned down and kissed her. 

“I’m so happy, Sweetheart.” Beverly grinned. “Me too.” 

“Get some more sleep. Wesley and I were going to read until dinner. I’ll get him fed, bathed , and in bed. Do you want to eat anything tonight?” 

“Uhm....maybe some soup?” He nodded. “I’ll get you some soup after Wesley is in bed. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that I make *every effort* to post mid-day on a Wednesday, but sometimes travel gets in the way. This entire fic is pre-written, so if a chapter doesn't appear on a Wednesday afternoon (UK time), it will as soon as I have access to my laptop and internet.

**2333**

_“Daddy I miss you!”_ Jean-Luc looked at his son on the monitor and smiled. “Miss you too, Squirt. But you’re taking good care of Mommy and the baby?”

“ _Uh-huh. And BabyCat.”_ He grinned. Wesley had started calling the cat BabyCat to separate it from the baby Beverly was having. “Good.”

_“When can we come home?”_

“Soon, I hope. We just couldn’t bring you and Mommy and Baby with us on this mission.” 

_“Why?”_ Jean-Luc frowned. “It could be dangerous. We have to go and talk to some people who don’t like us.” 

_“Oh.”_

“Can you get Mommy for me?”

 _“Ok.”_ Wesley turned away from the monitor and Jean-Luc heard him call for Beverly. Jean-Luc was unsurprised when his son answered the call since Wesley had been showing an aptitude for engineering as of late, much to Walker’s enjoyment. Beverly’s face filled the screen. _“I didn’t even hear the call.”_ Jean-Luc chuckled. “Wes answered it right away. How are you doing?”

 _“I really hate being here.”_ Jean-Luc frowned. “I know. Have you run into her at all?” Beverly shook her head. _“Fortunately, Sickbay and the judiciary offices are on opposite sides. I don’t know where her quarters are-“_

“Habitat level ten, if she hasn’t moved at all.” Beverly raised her eyebrows. _“Well, we’re on twelve, so as long as she doesn’t need Sickbay or a reason to go to the day care, I don’t think we’ll run into her .”_

“Ok, good. I hate that we have this mission right now.” 

_“You and me both. But I wish I was with you. I mean, I’m glad Benilev thought to evacuate the children...”_ Jean-Luc nodded.

“I know. I think if you weren’t pregnant, we would have sent Wesley to stay with Maman and Papa, but Benilev was concerned...On the other hand...”

_“If I was on the ship, you’d have worried about me and that could distract you. I know. But it’s a short mission, right?”_

“Shouldn’t be too long. We just have to go in, talk with the Cardassians, and leave.”

 _“Well, when you put it_ that way...” Beverly grinned. _“Why did we even go?”_ Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. We have to get through to Cardassian space, _then_ request an audience.”

 _“Do you and Benilev know what you’re going to say?”_ Jean-Luc shook his head. “Not yet. We know what the Federation wants us to say, but there are ways of saying it that are less demanding. We’re still working on it. Gerard is not pleased, let me tell you.” 

_“Why? Does he think he can do a better job than Benilev?”_

“No. Me.”

_“Oh. Well...Admiral Quinn seems to think you’re a good negotiator...wow, it feels funny calling him Admiral now. I got used to just calling him Greg.”_

“Me too. But he’s trusting me and Benilev to get the job done. I miss you.”

_“I miss you too. Working with Doctor Quaice is nice since I had wanted to work with him on Delos Four, but I’d rather be with you and get back to doing what our ship does best.”_

“Yeah. It feels weird without a lot of the crew missing, too. Walking through the corridors where all the labs are is a little creepy right now.”

_“Sora was grumbling about having to move all our research, but I think she agrees with me that it’s better for the research to be safe. I think she’d rather be on the ship though. “_

“Can’t say that I blame her. Plus, Walker is a little sad.” Beverly snorted. Their friends had a strange on again, off again relationship she didn’t even begin to understand. “ _So I heard you were taking on extra security from the_ Rutland _?”_

“Yeah. I don’t know if they sent Jack along or not as I haven’t seen the full manifest. But....well, it’s been four years. And he’ll have to listen to my orders because I outrank him.” Beverly snorted. _“Good luck with that.”_

“Yeah, thanks.” Jean-Luc groaned as a message appeared in the corner of his screen. “Sorry, Sweetheart, I have to go. Benilev wants to see me.”

_“I love you. Talk to you soon?”_

“If not sooner. I love you too. Picard out.”

Beverly’s image faded from the screen and Jean-Luc sighed. They hadn’t been separated like this since Wesley was a baby, and he hated it. On the other hand, he was also relieved when Benilev ordered the evacuation of children and non-Starfleet spouses and then went one further and personally suggested to Beverly that she evacuate with them. It wasn’t that they expected the mission to go wrong, it was just everything was unknown, and they would be out of federation space. Jean-Luc suspected his friend Admiral Quinn had something to do with Beverly’s evacuation, too. Jean-Luc adjusted his uniform and headed out into the corridor where he ran into Walker.

“Hey Johnny. Poker later?”

“Who’s playing?” 

“Senior staff, mostly. Not Benilev and not Gerard.” Jean-Luc grinned. “I’ll be there. Your quarters?”

“Yep. 2200?”

“Perfect.”

Jean-Luc pressed the chime outside the Ready Room and when the door slid open he spoke as he walked through the door. “You wanted to see me, Sir?”

“I did, Commander. I want you to meet our new head of Security. He said he knows you?” 

“Oh?” Jean-Luc turned and his smile faded. “Hello, Jack.”

“Johnny.” Benilev clapped his hands. “Good. I’m glad you two know each other. Lieutenant Crusher, do you know our chief Engineer too?” 

“Wally? Yeah. We all lived together when we were at the academy.” Benilev grinned. “Ah, so then you must know Jean-Luc’s lovely wife as well.” 

“Er...”

“He does,” Jean-Luc was quick to answer before Jack said anything. It wasn’t that Jean-Luc didn’t trust his captain, but he preferred that part of his and Beverly’s past stay in the past. As far as either of them were concerned, her brief relationship with Jack never happened. 

“Shame she isn’t on board right now. I’m sure the five of you would have loved to have had a reunion.” Jack looked at Benilev, puzzled.

“Five?”

“Doctor Lanslig is usually here, too.” Jack grinned. “Ah, the lovely Sora.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes . He _hoped_ this was only a temporary assignment for his former friend and they could either avoid each other or learn to serve together. Otherwise, it was going to be a _very long_ mission.

###

Beverly was not enjoying being a “single parent” while pregnant. Wesley was full of pent up energy and usually Jean-Luc would take him to the gym on the _Stargazer_ to run around, but Beverly simply didn’t have the energy. Fortunately, Sora was on the base with her and willing to help out. 

“Ok, Wes, ready to go swimming?”

“Kay Aunt Sowwa.” Sora smiled. Wesley was still having trouble with his R sound. Beverly wasn’t concerned as she assumed he would eventually learn his Rs. 

“Bev, you coming along?” 

“Well, I suppose I could replicate a maternity suit. Alright. Let me change first.” Wesley came running back in with his swimming bag.

“I’m weady!”

“Bev, we’ll meet you there!” A muffled “ok” came through the bedroom door and Sora reached for Wesley’s hand. “Now then. I know your daddy has been teaching you how to swim. How about we work on it and then you can surprise him later?” 

“Yeah! Daddy said he would teach me how to dive.” Sora wrinkled her forehead.

“Really?”

“Uhm....” Wesley shifted his weight from one foot to the other, nervously.

“ _Wesley.”_

“He said when I was older. But I’m two whole weeks older now!” Sora grinned. She loved four-year-old logic. “I _think_ he meant in a few years. Let’s get you swimming without the floaties first, ok?”

Sora and Wesley were in the pool when Beverly arrived and after putting her belongings down on the bench next to Wesley’ bag, she eased into the pool and swam a few laps. 

“Hi Mommy!” Wesley grinned and waved at his mother from the kickboard he was balancing on.

“Are you listening to Aunt Sora?” Wesley vigorously nodded.

“Uh huh. Aunt Sowwa said I could try without the floaties soon.” Beverly glanced over at Sora and raised her eyebrows. 

“Just in the shallow end, Wes. Where you can touch the bottom. We won’t try in the deeper water until I’m sure you can, alright?” Wesley frowned. “But...” Beverly levelled a gaze at her son.

“No buts, Wes. Listen to Aunt Sora.”

“Fiiiine.” He pouted. 

“ _Wesley._ Aunt Sora doesn’t have to take you swimming. Would you rather we go back to our quarters?”

“No. it’s boring.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Then listen to her and if she tells you to stay in the shallow water, you stay there.” 

“Ok. Mommy, is the baby ok in there?” Beverly tilted her head. “Of course it is.”

“But won’t the water get in?” 

“What do you mean, Wes?”

“Through the hole.” Beverly continued to give her son a puzzled look. “What hole, Wes?”

“The one she came in through.” Realisation dawned on Beverly and she smiled at Wes.

“How about we talk about this later. We can go to sickbay and I can show you on a scan where the baby is.” 

Nearby another pair of ladies were swimming and they overheard Wesley’s questions. “I don’t envy you. How do you explain it to a child his age?” Beverly shrugged. “Very carefully.”

That evening, when Wesley was wrapped in his fluffy dressing gown and pyjamas after his bath – which he didn’t understand why he needed a bath when he had been in a swimming pool that afternoon - Beverly drew him onto her lap a much as he would fit around her belly and showed him a simple child’s anatomy book. All the body parts were labelled appropriately, but the book didn’t give a lot of detail. Just enough for someone Wesley’s age to comprehend. 

Beverly pointed to an area on the diagram. “The baby lives in here right now. It’s filled with fluid, so it’s kind of like she’s swimming all the time.”

“But how did she get there?” 

“Well, she isn’t baby sized. Not yet. She starts out teeny tiny, the size of this dot. And then she grows and after nine months, she’s finally baby sized and that’s when it will be safe for her to come out.”

“Oh. Will it hurt?” 

“A little. But it’ll be worth it because then we’ll have your little sister with us.” 

“And she can’t get wet?” 

“From the water.” 

“What water, Wes?”

“Like when I play with my duckie in the bath an he gets filled with water an then it goes Squiiiirt an it looks like he’s peein.” Beverly tried to hide her smile. 

“I see. Well, I can assure you, Wes, women are not like rubber duckies. If we go swimming or take a bath, water doesn’t get inside us like that.” 

“So the baby is ok?” Beverly kissed the top of Wesley’s head. “Yes, Wes. The baby is fine.” 

“Mommy, can I see her?” 

“Sure, can you get my tricorder out of my bag by the door and my PADD?” Wesley nodded and slid off of his mother’s lap. He returned quickly with the items. Beverly set her tricorder to display the results on the PADD and handed the tricorder to Wesley. “Ok, Wes. Scan my tummy by pressing the button that says ‘scan’.” Wesley stuck his tongue between his teeth and carefully scanned his mother, then looked at the PADD on the table.

“Woah! She has a tail on her tummy!” Beverly laughed.

“Sweetheart, it’s not a tail. It’s called an umbilical cord. Lift up your pyjama shirt.” 

“Why?”

“I want to show you something.” Wesley shrugged and tugged up his shirt. Beverly poked his belly button. “This is where your umbilical cord was attached when you lived inside of me.”

“WOW! Babies are cool!” Beverly grinned. She hoped Wesley would still think babies were cool after the arrival of his sister. 

“Speaking of babies, is BabyCat on your bed?” Wesley nodded.

“Uh-huh.” 

“Why don’t you go tell her it’s dinner time while I get dinner for you.” 

“Can I have nuggets?”

“Again?”

“Uh-huh. Nuggets are my favourite.”

“Sure.”

###

“Entering Cardassian controlled space, Sir.” Jean-Luc nodded. “Bridge to Captain Benilev.”

 _“Benilev_.”

“We are entering Cardassian space.” 

_“On my way.”_ Benilev arrived shortly before Gerard, and Jean-Luc quickly rose from the center chair for his captain. Benilev smiled. “Now, let’s see how long it takes for us to be contacted.” 

They waited six days. Jean-Luc and Jack were getting along, as long as they didn’t bring up Beverly. This was going well, until a call came through during a poker game.

“ _Bridge to Picard.”_

“Picard here.”

 _“You have an incoming transmission from Starbase thirty-two.”_ He smiled. “I’ll take it in my quarters.” Jean-Luc set his cards down. “Well, looks like I’m going to have to fold.” Lieutenant Jo grinned.

“Who wants to bet it’s actually his kid calling and not his wife?” Jean-Luc grinned. 

“Quite possibly.” Jack frowned. Jean-Luc avoided his gaze as he said goodnight to the rest of the group. When the door slid shut, Jack turned to Walker. “So the kid? He’s...smart?” 

“Yeah. Wesley is ridiculously good with engineering already. Taking apart all sorts of things just to see how they work. Really annoyed Bev when he took apart her tricorder.“ Jo glanced over at Jack.

“Don’t you know? Aren’t you guys like best friends?” Jack shook his head at Lieutenant Jo. 

“No. I mean, we lived together at the academy but...” Jack trailed off and looked at Walker, who put his hands up.

“Don’t look at me, Jack. Johnny and Bev don’t talk about you or that year, so...” he shrugged. “You decide what you want to share, but bear in mind Johnny is our superior officer and he has out respect.” Lieutenant Jo pressed for more information. It seemed so strange that Jack shared an apartment with Jean-Luc and his wife, but didn’t know anything about their son. 

“What happened? You guys fight or something? I mean, I know the guy’s pretty strong.” 

“Something like that. Anyway, I fold. Wally, I’ll talk to you later.” Walker shrugged as he watched Jack leave the room.

“Er...bye Jack?”

###

“On Screen.” Jean-Luc grinned when it was indeed his son. “ _Hi Daddy!_ ” 

“Wes...does Mommy know you called me?” 

“ _Noooo”_ The four-year-old shook his head. “ _But I missed you!”_ Jean-Luc’s grin got bigger. “I miss you too, Squirt, but how about you get Mommy for me?” 

_“Mommy is in the bath.”_ Jean-Luc nodded. “I see. Well, do you know how to move the call to a PADD?”

 _“Uh-huh. I press this button!”_ Jean-Luc could tell that Wesley had his finger hovering over a button. “Transfer it to the PADD and take the PADD into the bathroom. But knock first so Mommy knows you want to come in.”

 _“’kay.”_ Jean-Luc listened as Wesley shuffled to the bathroom and knocked on the door. _“Mommy, can I come in? It’s Daddy!”_ He chuckled and rolled his eyes. He heard Beverly tell him to wait a minute, and then he heard the splash of the water as Beverly must have gotten out of the tub. Soon the PADD was moved and he caught a glimpse of _his_ terry cloth dressing gown before Beverly’s face filled the screen. “ _I didn’t know you were calling tonight.”_

“I didn’t make the call.” Beverly tilted her head.

“ _You mean...?”_

“Yep. Wesley figured out the codes to reach the Stargazer. Goodness help us if he figures out how to call Maman or your Nana.” Beverly rolled her eyes.

_“I suppose adding a security code to use the comms wouldn’t prevent him, would it?”_

“It’d probably be a small challenge for him.” Jean-Luc smiled at his wife. “But now that I’m here, we might as well talk. How are you, my love?” 

_“Fine. I had Sora scan me for our twenty-week check....want to see? I was going to send it to you after my bath.”_ Jean-Luc grinned.

“That’s a silly question. Send it over woman!” Beverly laughed. _“It’s on my other PADD. Hang on.”_ Jean-Luc grinned when the alert came and picked up his own PADD to look. “She’s beautiful, my love.”

 _“Isn’t she? Let me move you back to the big screen and you can see Wes, too.”_ Beverly made a few adjustments and Jean-Luc was now looking at the living room in Beverly’s quarters. He sighed. “It’s like I’m there with you. If only this included touch.”

 _“I know. We miss you, don’t we Wes?”_ Wesley curled up against his mother’s side. 

“ _Uh huh. Daddy, when will you come get us?”_

“I wish I knew, Squirt. I hear Aunt Sora is keeping up with your swimming lessons. How’s it going?” Wesley was soon babbling to his father about his swimming and Jean-Luc tried to pay attention, but he was too busy looking at his wife and son. He watched as Baby, the ever faithful feline, jumped up on the sofa too, as if she wanted to talk to him as well. “Well, I’m glad it’s going well. Now, I think it’s bedtime, isn’t it?” 

_“Noooo_.”

“Wesley.”

 _“Yeah, I guess.”_ Beverly rolled her eyes.

“ _You were supposed to be asleep a half an hour ago. I took my bath only because I put you to bed!”_

 _“Sorry Mommy. I weeeeeeaaaalllly needed to talk to Daddy.”_ Jean-Luc watched Beverly sighed.

_“Next time, ask me first, alright?”_

_“Ok.”_ Wesley turned back to the screen. _“Night, Daddy. I miss you weading to me.”_

“Tell you what, I’ll record myself reading your favourite book and send it to Mommy for you for tomorrow night. Goodnight, Wes.”

 _“I’ll be right back, Jean-Luc. Just let me tuck him in again.”_ Jean-Luc nodded. He yearned to next to Beverly’s side putting their son to bed. She returned after a few minutes . _“I can’t say I’m upset with our son for calling you. I told him he would be punished in the morning for calling without permission, but I don’t really have the heart to follow through. What do you think?”_

“No, me neither. He missed me, and he didn’t break any rules...I don’t think he was ever told _not_ to use the comms, only to get permission first. No, don’t punish him. Tell him we talked about it and decided not to, _but_ he needs to get your permission to call me. And I’ll tell him tomorrow that when you put him to bed he needs to stay there, even if he decides he has something important to tell me.” Beverly smiled. 

_“So...how are things?”_ It was Jean-Luc’s turn to sigh, and Beverly could see the frustration on his face.

“We’re still waiting to be contacted by the Cardassians. We’re all getting a bit frayed.” Beverly nodded sympathetically.

_“What’s it like with Jack there?”_

“It’s....alright, as long as you and Wesley aren’t brought up. I hope you don’t mind.” 

_“No. I...it would be nice to be able to be friends with Jack again, but I don’t think that’s possible for us. But if you can repair your relationship with him...I support that.”_ Jean-Luc smiled. “Thanks. Can I talk to the baby?”

 _“Sure,”_ Beverly giggled as she opened her dressing gown and Jean-Luc gasped. “Uhm....”

_“I was in the bath. I didn’t have time to put on a nightgown before Wes came in.”_

_“_ You are so beautiful.” She blushed. “Hi, baby. It’s Daddy. I’m sorry I’m not there, but you be good for Mommy and Wesley and I’ll be home soon...I hope. I love you.” He sighed. “Bev, I’m so sorry I’m missing out on part of your pregnancy again.”

 _“Can’t be helped, but if you miss the_ birth.... _”_ Jean-Luc shook his head.

“Nope, my leave starts a few weeks before your due date and I will be there even if we’re still here. I already told Benilev I’m not staying, and I think Quinn will back me up.” Beverly noddd.

_“We leave for La Barre in three and a half months. I hope you’re back by then....I could probably use your help with Wes and Baby on the shuttle, but I guess I can ask Sora to come along.”_

“Trust me, I hope I’m back then too. I love you.”

“I love you too. Picard out.”

###

“Jean-Luc, can I talk to you?” Jack asked as their shifts were ending the following day.

“Sure. Want to have a drink in my quarters?” 

“Ok.” Jack followed Jean-Luc to his quarters. “So, I hear your kid is really smart.” 

“Something like that. He’s keeping us on his toes, that’s for sure. And if the next one is anything like him...” Jack’s eyes went wide.

“Beverly’s pregnant?” Jean-Luc nodded as he entered the access codes for his quarters. 

“Twenty weeks now. It’s one of the reasons she evacuated instead of us just sending Wes to stay with my parents.”

“I didn’t know. Congratulations.” 

“Thanks. Whisky?” Jack nodded and glanced around the quarters. It was obvious a child usually lived there judging by the corner taken over with a play kitchen, and the rug on the floor depicting a ‘road’ scene. An overfilling toybox completed the corner, and Jack smiled, glad that his friend seemed content. He watched Jean-Luc enter the small kitchenette space and open a high cupboard to retreat the bottle. Jack nodded to himself. Jean-Luc _definitely_ made a good parent. Jean-Luc handed Jack a glass and indicated for him to sit. 

“What did you want to talk about, Jack? I take it this is personal and not professional?”

“Yeah. Jean-Luc, I...” Jack trailed off and stared at his glass of amber liquid, swirling the glass in his hand. “I wanted to say I was sorry.” 

“For?”

“Ever thinking making a move on Beverly was a good idea. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of her while she was drunk, and I shouldn’t have forced her to stay with me. I...I wanted her, Jean-Luc. But she never _really_ wanted me. I think she only said yes when I asked her to marry me because she was so messed up over your relationship. Actually, I’m not even sure if she said yes. I might have just put a ring on her finger and assumed....I was so stupid. I _knew_ she didn’t love me the way she loved you and yet I...” Jack hung his head, unable to continue to talk. He had always known being with Beverly was wrong. Even after that first night when she had woken up in his bed. If he had told her it had been a drunken mistake, he knew Jean-Luc would have forgiven her and they never would have made such a mess of their lives. He opened his mouth again to speak. “Jean-Luc.....the night Beverly and I slept together for the first time, would you have forgiven Beverly if she had admitted it right away and I had moved out of the flat?” Jean-Luc slowly nodded. “I...I’m sorry I didn’t tell her it had been a mistake.”

“Hmm. Jack, don’t you think you should, perhaps, talk to and apologize to Beverly and not me?” Jack shrugged, still looking at the glass in his hand instead of his friend.

“I wanted to talk to you first. I didn’t want to make Beverly....well, I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. When did you get married?” 

“Wesley was thirteen months old.” 

“Good. I’m...I’m glad the baby turned out to be yours. It wouldn’t have worked out if it was mine. Beverly didn’t want to be with me and I’m not sure I could have handled fatherhood the way you are. Can I see pictures of him?” Jean-Luc waved his hand.

“Sure. Just look around, we have plenty in frames.” Jack got up and started walking around the quarters. “he looks like you.” 

“Poor boy is going to inherit my hairline when he grows up.” Jack grinned. “Poor kid.” 

“Jack, I can’t speak for Beverly....you’ll have to talk to her on your own when we get back to Starbase Thirty-two, but I’m glad you’re here...I wouldn’t want anyone other than my best friend watching my back with these negotiations.” Jack smiled.

“Really, I’m still your best friend?” Jean-Luc clapped Jack on the shoulder. 

“Jackie, we’ve all been through a lot, but you, Walker, Sora, Beverly, and I have always been best friends...even when we’ve been mad at each other.” Jack grinned.

“I hope Beverly feels the same way and accepts my apology.”

###

“Captain, we’ve finally received beam down coordinates.” 

“Good. Picard, you’re with me. Crusher, I want a security team in the transporter room in five minutes. Gerard, you have the bridge.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Walker was standing at the transporter room controls and Jean-Luc grinned. “Don’t trust anyone else today?”

“Nope. I’m going to keep a lock on all of you while you’re down there.” Jean-Luc nodded. 

“Good thinking.” Jack escorted four security men into the room and passed phasers to Jean-Luc and their captain. “Phasers at the ready, I think. We’ll have Mickle and Noreen beam down first and once they give it the all-clear, the rest of us can beam down. Lanson, I don’t want you to leave the Captain’s side. Goya, you’re with Commander Picard. Anything happens to him and his wife will have my hide.” Walker snorted as Mickle and Noreen readied themselves on the transporter pad.

“You got that right, buddy.” He glanced at the two on the pad who nodded. “Energizing.”

Mickle sent the all clear and Benilev gave the order to beam down. They landed in a dark, hot, foggy area, making it difficult to see. Jack tapped his badge. “Crusher to Mickle. Where are you?” 

_“At the beam-down point, Sir. Waiting for your arrival._ ”

“Er, no you’re not. We’re here and you aren’t.” 

_“Sir, we definitely were beamed down to the coordinates provided. It even looks the way it was described.”_ All colour left Jack’s face. He knew Walker hadn’t made a mistake transporting their group, so it could only mean one thing. He hurried up to Benilev. “Sir, I think this is an ambush. They must have intercepted us and altered our beam down point.” Beniev listened to Jack’s explanation, then nodded.

“I agree, Crusher. Picard, suggestions?” Jean-Luc didn’t hesitate. If they _had been_ ambushed as Jack suggested, there was obviously an alternate agenda and Jean-Luc needed to keep the Captain safe.

“Immediate beam back, Sir. I agree with Jack that this looks suspicious.” Jack, Lanson, and Goya formed a tight circle around Benilev and Jean-Luc while Benilev tapped his badge. “Benilev to _Stargazer_.”

Nothing. Jean-Luc tapped his badge. “Picard to Keel.” Still nothing. Jack risked exchanging a look with Jean-Luc. _Shit,_ they both thought simultaneously.

They were under fire. Lanson went down, shot in the stomach by a powerful beam, followed by Goya. Jean-Luc bent down to check their pulses and a beam whizzed over his head. They were dead. Benilev was firing back at the assassins with his phaser, but their opponents obviously had more firepower than them. Benilev was shot in the leg and went down with a cry. “Crusher, Picard. _GET OUT OF HERE_.” 

“Sir?” Benilev squeezed off another shot.

“Leave me. I’m dead anyway.” Jack pulled Jean-Luc behind him. 

“Come on, Johnny. You heard the Captain. You’re in command down here now. What should we do?” Jean-Luc’s eyes widened briefly, and then he seemed to switch himself back on.

“Right. Do we know where our original beam down point was? We might be able to find the other two members of your team at the very least.” Jack fired back at their opponent.

“No time for that, Johnny!” Jack glanced behind him and saw a small copse of trees he thought they might be able to use for cover and he started to tug Jean-Luc towards the small grove while Jean-Luc attempted to tapped his badge again, hoping to somehow get through. “Picard to _Stargazer_.” 

_“Johnny! We’re under attack up here!”_

“Not doing so hot down here either, Wal. Do you still have a lock on us?” 

_“I’m only seeing two life signs.”_

“Yes. Beam us out of here!” Just as the shimmer of light was about to take hold, one of the assassins aimed his phaser directly at Jean-Luc. Jack’s eyes went wide and he threw himself in front of the beam, getting sliced down just as they dematerialised. They both landed on the transporter pad and Jean-Luc dropped to his knees. “Jack!” 

Walker ran over, shouting for a medic. Jean-Luc carefully helped Jack to lay down on the transporter pad. Walker opened up a med kit and Jean-Luc tried desperately to revive their friend. He pressed a hypospray to Jack’s neck and prayed it would work. Jack let out a cough. Jack’s voice was raspy, but Jean-Luc heard him speak. “Johnny?”

“I’m here, Jackie. So is Walker. You’ll be alright. You’ll be alright. We’ll get you to Sickbay.” Jack let out another cough that almost sounded like a laugh. He wouldn’t survive. He knew it and he knew Jean-Luc knew it, too.

“I’m glad you’re with Beverly. She deserves you.” Jean-Luc patted his shoulder. “Thanks, Jack.”

“And Johnny? Tell Bev...tell her I’m sorry?” Jean-Luc could only nod as Jack’s eyes slid shut as another blast rocked the ship. Jean-Luc’s eyes flew up to meet Walker’s.

“Shit! Walker, what’s going on?”

“I’d love to tell you, Johnny. I’ve been in here trying desperately to restore my lock on you lot. All I know is we were attacked. Where’s Benilev and the others?”

“Dead. Shot down with the rest of the away team. We should...we should get to the bridge. Let the medics handle Jack’s...Jack’s body.”

Walker nodded and the two hurried through the corridors and burst onto the bridge. Jean-Luc looked around. The bridge was on fire and Gerard was under a large beam, either unconscious or dead. With a start, Jean-Luc realised the rest of the crew on the bridge were all ensigns and low ranking Lieutenants. He grabbed the shoulder of one of the Ensigns. “Ensign. Report!”

“I...I don’t know, Sir. You and the Captain beamed down to the planet and the next thing we knew, we were being fired upon.” 

“Did you try hailing them?”

“No, Sir. Gerard had us fire back.” Jean-Luc glanced over at Walker.

“Wally. Hail them!”

Walker hurried over to the comm panel. “Hailing frequencies open, Johnny.” 

“This is Lieutenant Commander Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation ship _Stargazer._ We are here on a diplomatic mission. Please cease fire!” 

To Jean-Luc’s surprise, the firing stopped and a deep voice responded. “ _You will leave.”_

“We are here on a diplomatic mission, at the invitation of the Cardassians.”

 _“The Cardassians no longer control this space.”_ Jean-Luc frowned. When had _that_ happened?

“I see. May I know whom we are addressing?”

_“No. If you are not gone immediately, we will continue to attack.”_

“Our ship is damaged. We have men on the planet. Please give us time to recover our men and repair our ship.”

 _“You have one hour.”_ Jean-Luc turned back to Walker. “You heard them. One hour. Get our men back up here if there are any survivors and figure out what needs to be repaired _now_ so we can get out of the former Cardassian space.”

 _“_ Aye, Sir.” Walker spun around to head down to his Engineering department, hoping it wasn’t too damaged. Jean-Luc looked around the bridge at the group of younger crewmen. “Clean this place up. Someone come help me with this beam on Gerard and call for a medic!”

It took three people to push the large beam off of the First Officer. He was unconscious, but he had a slow, steady pulse and Jean-Luc watched as the medics carefully loaded him onto a hover gurney. He lowered himself into the center chair and surveyed the bridge once more. “Helm? Can you get us out of here?”

“Not yet, Sir.” Jean-Luc frowned.

“Bridge to Engineering.”

_“Engineering. Johnny, We’re working as fast as we can. We might be able to get us warp one if we have forty-five minutes.”_

“We don’t. What can you do us in twenty?”

_“Uhh...impulse.”_

“That’ll do. Let’s get us back into Federation space and then regroup.”


	32. Chapter 32

“Captain? Captain?” Jean-Luc didn’t pay attention and continued to look at the PADD in his hands. It took several more “Captains" and a slight tap on his arm before Jean-Luc realised the Ensign at his elbow was talking to him. Jean-Luc smiled as he turned to the younger man.

“I’m not a Captain.” The Ensign shifted his feet and wondered if he was in trouble. “Well, you’re kind of the Captain now, aren’t you? Since Captain Benilev died and Commander Gerard is in Sickbay.” Jean-Luc stared at the Ensign. Was _he_ actually the Captain now? He shook his head.

“Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I suppose I could be acting Captain, but there’s no one to actually appoint me, so for now, I’m still Lieutenant Commander.” He turned a friendly smile towards the Ensign who’s name escaped him. “Now, what was it you needed?”

“We finally fixed the communications relay, Sir.” Jean-Luc nodded and a name came into his head. He was fairly certain the blonde man was called Lowell.

“Ah, brilliant. I’ll use the Captain’s ready room to call Admiral Quinn.” 

“Sir?”

“Yes, Ensign Lowell?”

“Who has the bridge?” Jean-Luc looked around and chuckled. “It’s not much of a bridge right now, but you have it.” Ensign Lowell looked at Jean-Luc with absolute adoration.

“Wow.”

Jean-Luc continued to chuckle as he walked into the ready room. Was it really only a few short years ago that he was a fresh-faced Ensign? And now he was the most senior ranking officer next to Walker on the ship who was able to take command? He supposed if they had had the full compliment of staff, there might have been someone in the Science department more senior..and Doctor Vindy technically outranked him, but didn’t have the ability to command. He grinned, thinkin about his wife and how she was determined to be able to command in her own right, and then sobered when he started to worry about how long it might take for them to return to the base. He looked around the office, still filled with Benlev’s personal items and drawings by his grandchildren and shook his head, any happiness leaving him as he thought about the death of Benilev, Jack, and the others. Not exactly how he had _ever_ anticipated being handed command, that’s for sure. He sat back behind Benilev’s desk with a heavy sigh and initiated a call to Admiral Quinn on Starbase 32.

 _“Admiral Quinn’s office.”_ Jean-Luc was staring at the secretary and he grinned at her.

“Could you put me through to the admiral, please?”

 _“Right away, Commander.”_ Jean-Luc saw he press a button on her console and hear her tell the Admiral his name. He heard Quinn’s gruff, _“Put him through,”_ and smiled at the secretary as she transferred him through.

_“Quinn here.”_

“Admiral.” Gregory Quinn grinned at his monitor.

“ _Jean-Luc. How has the mission gone?”_ Jean-Luc frowned.

“Er...badly, Sir, actually.” Quinn steepled his fingers and leaned forward.

 _“I see. Why are you calling me instead of Benilev to report this?”_ Jean-Luc’s frown became deeper.

“I’m sorry to report his death, Sir.”

“ _You better explain from the beginning, Picard.”_ Jean-Luc slowly nodded and told the admiral everything that had transpired, starting with their six day wait for any contact and ending with Gerard being taken to sick bay, leaving Jean-Luc as the senior ranking bridge officer. “He’s fighting for his life. Doctor Vindy isn’t sure if he’ll be able to return to the bridge any time soon, let alone survive.” Quinn didn’t hesitate before responding.

 _“Lieutenant Commander Picard, I hereby grant you a field promotion to Captain.”_ Jean-Luc stared back at his old Captain and friend. 

“Sir? But...I’m only a Lieutenant Commander....”

_“You heard me. There will be an inquiry when you get to base, naturally, but you might even get a chance to be promoted to Commander, or even keep your Captaincy out of this mess . You’ll need to find a temporary first and second officer. I’ll allow you to grant field promotions and I will review them once you reach the base and consider them for permanent promotions. How soon do you think you can get to Starbase thirty-two?”_

“I’ll have to check with Walker, but right now we only have warp two. At warp two....I think Walker said twelve weeks when I checked with him earlier.” Quinn nodded, and thought of another problem the now youngest Captain in the fleet might be facing.

_“When does your paternity leave start?”_

“Fourteen weeks.” Quinn sighed.

_“Try and get here sooner. I don’t want to send your wife home without you if we’re still doing the inquiry. And I know she doesn’t intend on having the baby here.”_

“No, Sir. Beverly would like to give birth in La Barre like she did with Wesley.”

_“You have the power to promote anyone into positions that need to be filled, however make sure you let them know they will only be temporary until I review everything. Although, can I assume you will be making Lieutenant Commander Keel your first officer?”_

“Most likely, Sir. I think Walker is the best candidate for the job ,and I’m not just saying that because he’s my best friend.”

 _“See that you don’t play favourites. I’m assuming you’d like to speak with your wife now?”_ Jean-Luc grinned at the older man. “Absolutely. She doesn’t even know what happened as we only just managed to get comms up and the last time I spoke with her was five days ago.”

 _“I’ll have my secretary patch you through to her. Quinn out.”_ Jean-Luc watched the screensaver until the screen filled with his wife’s face. _“You’re ok!”_ Beverly’s eyes were red-rimmed and Jean-Luc could tell she had been crying. 

“Shh, Sweetheart. I’m ok.”

“ _What took you so long to contact us? I’ve been worried and it’s been hard distracting Wesley.”_ Jean-Luc grimaced.

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart. We’ve had....problems.” He saw the panicked look on her face. “I’m alright. I promise. No injuries. Ship’s not, but I’m fine. And, I just was handed a field promotion to Captain.” Beverly raised her eyebrows. “ _Congratulations!_ _What happened to Captain Benilev?”_

“Dead.” Beverly’s face fell and she glanced at her husband on the screen, scared to ask her next question. 

_“Walker?”_

“Wally is fine. I’m about to promote him to my first officer. But ah,” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck before continuing, not happy about what he was about to say. “Jack didn’t make it. He died...saving me.” Beverly gasped.

_“No.”_

“Yeah,” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck again. “We had a bit of a heart to heart the night before the mission and he was planning on apologising to you as soon as we returned to the base. I think he might have even asked for a permanent transfer over here. I kind of wish he was here now.” Beverly softly smiled. _“I...I don’t know how to feel.”_

“It’s alright. Jack was one of my best friends and he was at one point your lover. It’s understandable to be upset. I won’t hold it against you if you want to cry.” Beverly nodded and Jean-Luc saw a few tears snake down her face. He yearned to hold her while she cried over the loss of her ex-lover and former friend but instead he had to settle for smiling at her.

 _“So when will we see you?”_ Jean-Luc let out a long sigh.

“I don’t know. Possibly not for another twelve weeks...it depends on if we can get any more speed out of this old rusty bucket of bolts.” Beverly frowned.

_“We’re supposed to leave for Earth in fourteen.”_

“I know. I’ll be there. I promise.” He smiled at his wife.

“ _Good. Now, would you like to speak with the little person? He’s been a bit upset that his daddy hasn’t called in a few days. I didn’t tell him anything else. I figured there was no point getting him worked up.”_ Jean-Luc nodded.

“That was a good idea. He’d have been a nightmare if he thought there was anything wrong. Yes, put him on, but first, let me see that beautiful bump.” Beverly grinned and lifted the top of her Maternity smock and Jean-Luc smiled. “Is she getting bigger?” Beverly nodded.

 _“And she’s strong like her brother, too. I’ve become an internal punching bag again.”_ Jean-Luc shot his wife a wry grin before he started speaking to the bump on his screen. Beverly closed her eyes and let her husband’s native language wash over her as he sweetly spoke to their daughter.

###

“Commander Keel, report?” Walker grinned. “Hey, I could get used to that. _Captain.”_

“Hmm. Well, don’t get _too_ attached. Admiral Quinn told me I could give temporary promotions and he would review them when we get back. If he’s happy with the promotions, you get to keep it.” Walker perched on the edge of the large desk.

“Still gonna revel in it. What does it feel like to be a Captain at twenty-eight?” Jean-Luc chuckled.

“A bit weird, if I’m honest. I mean, Bev and I used to joke that I’d make Captain by thirty, but we always assumed it would actually be later than that, probably closer to forty. Plus with the second baby on the way, I’m going on leave basically right as I get my promotion, if Quinn lets it stick.” He shook his head. “But anyway. What kind of update can you give me from engineering?” Walker handed him the PADD he was holding with a big grin.

“ _Should_ be able to get to warp five by the end of the day.” Jean-Luc nodded. “Good. The sooner we’re back, the sooner this inquiry can get over with. I’m not looking forward to that _at all_. “

“Do you think it will be a problem with you being the only survivor from the away team?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Well, and Mickle, but he wasn’t with us. I’m hoping the recorded conversations from the comms will help in my favour. Hopefully, it picked up Benilev telling us to leave him. I know you couldn’t hear us, but hopefully the comms were still being picked up.”

“I can check for you.” Walker hopped off the desk, ready to help out his friend.

“Please do. And Gerard managed to make one log to note the attack before he was apparently struck, so there’s a record of _that_ , as well as your report from the transporter room.”

“Is he going to survive?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “We don’t know. That’s another reason to get us back to Starbase thirty-two quickly. Doctor Vindy needs his other doctors.” Walker eyed Jean-Luc.

“Hmm. And it has nothing to do with the one you’re married to?” Jean-Luc grinned at his best friend. “Well, that’s just a perk.”

###

Jean-Luc was going through the current crew manifest. The ship originally had ninety-four people on board, but thirteen of those were children, and twenty-seven were non-Starfleet spouses. All of the children and spouses had been evacuated prior to the mission, as well as nineteen scientists, including Beverly and Sora. With the deaths that occurred as a result of the attack, the ship was down to a crew compliment of only twenty-five, not counting the Sickbay staff. It was doable, but it meant everyone was working long shifts or working in two departments. 

He appointed Walker his First Officer, even though he was still also Chief of Engineering. His Second Officer was one of his helmsmen. Head of Security was also the comms officer, and of course he still had his Chief Medical Officer, who had a skeleton sickbay crew of three. 

Walker pressed the chime outside the ready room. “Come!”

“Captain, I came to work on the crew roster.” 

“Ah good, because it’s giving me a headache. I think we’re going to have to lengthen the shifts, but then that means finding time for people to have proper rest.”

“Can’t we declare it an emergency?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“We _could_ , but we also don’t want anyone burning themselves out.” Walker gave his friend a critical look.

“Johnny, when did _you_ last sleep?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m the Captain now. I need to keep us going.” 

“Yeah, and the _Captain_ needs his rest. Look, why don’t we work on this in your quarters instead of the office. We’ll have a drink, we’ll get it sorted, and then you’ll go get some sleep and I’ll sit the next watch for you.” Jean-Luc eyed his best friend.

“Have you been talking to Bev?” Walker grinned.

“I talked to Sora, who talked with Bev. Beverly is worried you’re not getting enough sleep and she said you guys will be dealing with little sleep soon enough when the baby arrives.” Jean-Luc snorted.

“She’s not wrong there. Alright. Let’s take this to my quarters.”

“And you’ll be pleased to know, we’ve managed warp six. But, I think that’s all we’re going to get. One of the Nacelles is malfunctioning, but we don’t have the crew to investigate so it was just easier to shut off the power to it.”

“Six is good. So we should be at Starbase thirty-two in...”

“Five weeks.”

“Perfect. Ok, let’s make a five-week roster.”

###

Three things happened when Jean-Luc finally walked down the gangway connected to Starbase thirty-two. A small blur threw himself at Jean-Luc crying how much he missed his daddy, his much more pregnant than before he left wife came up and kissed him, and Admiral Quinn was waiting for him at the bottom.

“Captain Picard, you may have tonight with your family, but tomorrow morning I expect you in my office at oh eight hundred.”

“Yes, Sir. And, thank you.” Quinn smiled at Jean-Luc and Beverly and lowered his voice.

“They didn’t want me to, but I wanted to give you time together.” Jean-Luc grinned back and hefted Wesley into his arms. Wesley threw his arms around his father’s neck.

“Daddy, can we go home now?” 

“You mean, to the ship?”

“Uh huh.” 

“I’m sorry, Wes. We took a lot of damage. We might not get to before we go back to La Barre to see Mémé and Pépé.” 

“Oh. But what about my toys?” Jean-Luc smiled and ruffled Wesley’s hair. “I’ll make sure they get packed up.” 

Jean-Luc revelled in giving his son his bath before bed and tucking him in. “Daddy, can I sleep with you an Mommy tonight?”

“No, Wes. I’m sorry.” Wesley pouted.

“Oh. Mommy let me sleep with her a lot while you were away.” Jean-Luc grinned. “She did, did she?”

“Yeah. It was cos we missed you.” Jean-Luc pressed a kiss to Wesley’s forehead. “I missed you too, squirt.” 

“Daddy, can you turn on my staws?” 

“Sure.” Jean-Luc activated the projector and smiled as the stars reflected on the ceiling matched the stars outside the base. He gave Baby a scratch under the chin before leaving Wesley’s bedroom.

Jean-Luc entered the master bedroom and Beverly immediately began removing his uniform. He caught her hands in his. “Hey, slow down.” 

“Sorry. I just...”

“Yeah, me too.” Beverly met his lips in a heated kiss. “I know it’s awkward when I’m this far along, but...”

“We’ll make it work.”

###

The only comfortable position for Beverly to sleep in was on her back, so she had her head resting on Jean-Luc’s shoulder and his arms were wrapped around her when she asked him about Jack.

“What happened with Jack? You said he saved you?” Jean-Luc gently stroked the swell of her belly.

“We had just told Walker to beam us up and someone shot directly at me. Jack....” his voice caught. “Jack leapt in front of me and took the shot. It would have killed me. We beamed back and his last words to me were he was glad I was with you, and to tell you he was sorry.”

“Wow.” 

“Yeah. I wish he had survived.”

“Me too.” Jean-Luc tightened his grip on Beverly. 

“He told me he was glad Wesley was mine and not his....he said he knew you didn’t love him and he was sorry he used you....I really thought we were on the verge of being best friends again.” Jean-Luc finally let the tears he had been holding inside fall and Beverly shifted them so he had his head resting on her chest while he sobbed. “I’m really going to miss him. It sounds silly, since we hadn’t spoken in almost five years, but....”

“I know.” 

Wesley padded into his parent’s bedroom with Baby following. Baby jumped up on the bed and settled on top of Jean-Luc and purred. He absently pet the cat and glanced over at his son. 

“Daddy, why are you crying?”

“Come here, Wes.” Wesley approached the bed and Jean-Luc swung him up. Jean-Luc hugged Wesley tight and he squirmed.

“Daddy, you’re holdin me too tight!” 

“Sorry, Wes.” Wesley patted his father’s cheek. 

“Did you hurt yourself? Cos Mommy said it was ok to cry if I hurted myself.” Jean-Luc smiled.

“Kind of. My heart hurts.”

“Oh.” Wesley leaned over and pressed a slobbery kiss on Jean-Luc’s bare chest. “I kissed it better?” 

Jean-Luc couldn’t help but grin at the innocence of a four-year-old. He ruffled Wesley’s hair. “Yeah, you did, Squirt. Now then, aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” 

“I had to pee.” Jean-Luc eyed his son and glanced over at his wife, who merely shrugged.

“I see. Did you go to the toilet?” 

“No.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes and sat Wesley back on the floor. He patted his backside gently.

“Go to the toilet.”

Beverly turned to Jean-Luc as soon as Wesley entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. “He wants to sleep in here.” 

“Oh? How can you tell?”

“He’s been doing this while you’re gone. He gets up, tells me he needs to use the toilet, then comes back in here and asks to sleep here. I let him a few times since it was obvious he was missing you.” She swung her legs out of the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“Getting a nightgown.”

“Can you get me a pair of shorts while you’re up?” Beverly nodded and tossed a pair to him. “Thanks.” Wesley came back into the bedroom.

“Can I sleep with you?” Jean-Luc exchange a look with Beverly.

“I don’t know....”

“Please?” Jean-Luc grinned at his son.

“Well, since you said _please_.” He swung him back up and tucked him between him and Beverly. As much as he wanted to hold Beverly all night, having his whole family with him made him happy. Baby completed the family sleepover by laying on Wesley’s stomach, protectively. Jean-Luc reached down and stroked the cat. “Been watching over Wesley for me while I was away? Good cat.”

In the morning, he would have to put back on his uniform and Captain pips and deal with the aftermath of the tragedy, but for now, he would hold his small family in slumber.

###

Reality came crashing down in the morning. After breakfast with his family, he kissed Beverly, and the two walked Wesley to the base pre-school. They shared one more kiss before parting, her towards Sickbay to check in with Doctor Vindy, and him towards Admiral Quinn’s office. He nervously rang the chime and entered when the door slid open.

Jean-Luc did a double take. Sitting in one of the chairs around the desk was none other than Phillipa Louvois. She gave him a warm smile, which unnerved him. _Why is she here?_

“Ah, Captain Picard, please take a seat while I introduce you to the legal team leading this inquiry. Captain Owen Paris and Lieutenants Dich, Louvois, and Parsons.” Jean-Luc shook Owen Paris’s hand and nodded at the Lieutenants, though he noticed Phillipa didn’t meet his eyes despite her smile.

“Starting tomorrow, the panel will be hearing about the incident that caused the loss of many lives and the review board will make a decision based on your competency. The board consists of myself, Admiral Nakamura, and Admiral Marachev. After today’s meeting, I will be unable to speak with you until the conclusion of the inquiry, though I have every faith in Captain Paris that he will be able to answer any of your questions. Before I dismiss you, do you have any generic questions?”

Jean-Luc was a little speechless. Should he bring up to Quinn that Phillipa was in fact, his ex fiancée? Did it matter, or could Phil manage to put their past behind them and act professionally? He frowned slightly, and settled for asking how long they expected the inquiry to last.

“That depends on the evidence put forth. But I know you have your leave scheduled and your wife needs to return to Earth before the baby is due,” there was a sharp intake of breath from Phillipa, which Quinn ignored. “So we’ll try to get this done as quickly as possible. Now, I must dismiss you and leave you with Captain Paris.” 

Jean-Luc nodded. “Thank you, Sir.” 

Quinn nodded. “Dismissed.” Jean-Luc rose and Paris touched his elbow. “Captain Picard, we can meet in my office. I doubt the quartermaster has seen to assigning you an office yet.”

“No, just the ready room on the ship, but I’m sure that’s crawling with engineers right now.” Paris nodded and showed Jean-Luc the way his office, with Lieutenant Dich trailing behind. Jean-Luc wondered if Phil would be there too, and was surprised to find out she was part of the prosecution side – that is, the side that would try to prove the incident had somehow been Jean-Luc’s fault.

They entered Paris’ office. “Drink, Picard?”

“Earl Grey tea, please. And please, call me Jean-Luc.” Paris smiled. “And I’m Owen.” Dich came back with a cup of tea for Jean-Luc and a coffee for Paris. 

“Alright, Jean-Luc. As a fellow Captain, I have to agree with Admiral Quinn and say that this should only be a formality. It was obvious this was some kind of ambush on you and we can assume since your attackers were not Cardassian, that those people managed to defeat the Cardassians prior to your arrival. But there are a few things they will bring up, so let’s be prepared.” Jean-Luc nodded. “Now, is there anything you need to tell me before we start?”

“Yes. You should be aware that Lieutenant Louvois...she and I were involved, about five years ago.” Owen Paris raised his eyebrows. Louvois was such an ice queen, he was shocked she ever managed to have a relationship.

“Oh? Who broke it off?”

“I did. Ah, it’s a bit complicated. The short version is that my wife and I broke up briefly when I received my first assignment and she began dating Jack Crusher-“

“One of the men who died?”

“Yes.” Owen raised his eyebrows again. Perhaps this _would_ be an interesting hearing after all. “Continue.”

“While Beverly and Jack were dating, I started seeing Phillipa and we got engaged during that time. It was a mistake and I realised it when I was told Beverly was pregnant with our son. I broke it off with Phil. I saw her a few months later and she tried to act as though we were still together, but I haven’t seen her since then.”

“I see. Well, that does make things interesting. Do you want me tell them we need a different prosecution?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “What do you think we should do?”

“I think we should keep this information to ourselves and wait for her to do something that could discredit her and throw this whole thing out. Because let’s be honest – none of this was your fault. This is just Starfleet covering their arses.”

###

The first few days of the inquiry were mostly rehashing the assignment. Jean-Luc would return to his family’s quarters each night completely drained, but still wanting to spend time with his wife and son. He wasn’t even allowed to speak with Walker until after Walker spoke with the board, which left him frustrated. Beverly did her best to fill their evenings with fun and laughter.

The _Stargazer_ needed more repair work than the station could handle and would need to be returned to Earth for repairs. Since Jean-Luc and Beverly were heading that way, they would use the Stargazer as far as Utopia Planitia, then use the Captain’s shuttle to get home. That is, if Jean-Luc was still captain of the _Stargazer_ or at all by then.

On the eighth day of the inquiry, Jean-Luc was questioned by Phillipa. 

“Could you please tell the committee the nature of your relationship with Lieutenant Jack Crusher?” 

“Jack and I met when we were cadets. We shared an apartment for three years. He was one of my best friends.”

“Mm-hmm. And you hold no ill will for the incidents that took place in 2328?” Jean-Luc gave Phillipa a blank look.

“If you’re referring to my accident, it occurred in 2327, and Jack wasn’t even present as his first assignment was at Command.”

“No. I’m talking about how he slept with your girlfriend and then proposed to her and was set to marry her until she discovered she was pregnant with your child.” Jean-Luc stared with his mouth open. Paris stood up. “Relevance?”

“Just trying to establish that _Captain_ Picard held a grudge against Lieutenant Crusher and that he might not have tried to save him.”

“I see. And this has nothing to do with the fact that you yourself were engaged to the Captain and he broke it off with you to be with the mother of his child?” 

“I....” Paris turned to the committee. “I move that we disqualify Lieutenant Louvois from continuing and I move that we adjourn this inquiry based on the bias clearly shown by a jilted lover.”

“Agreed. Captain Picard, you may have the rest of this week off t spend with your family. We will discuss your new assignment on Monday. Dismissed.”

Jean-Luc shook Paris’ hand. “Thank you.”

“No, thank _you_. I’ve been looking for a way to take that woman down a peg or two ever since she started eyeing my job.”


	33. Chapter 33

Jean-Luc was given command of the _Stargazer_ , despite the ship being in need of repair badly and his pending paternity leave. His assignment for the next few weeks was to prepare the ship for its return to Earth, where it would be completely overhauled over the course of six months – coincidentally, the same six months that he would be on leave for. He grinned when Quinn gave him his orders. 

“And if Beverly wants, she could join you on the ship and finish out her maternity leave on board. I wouldn’t object to that.” Quinn gave his protégé a big grin. Jean-Luc couldn’t help but grin back.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“By the way, I have approved all the promotions you put through and I’ve also taken the liberty of promoting your wife to Lieutenant Commander so it wouldn’t look like nepotism if you did.”

“Oh wow, thank you. I was wondering how Beverly would be able to obtain promotions with me being her superior.” Quinn nodded.

“It _is_ an unusual situation, but you and your wife won’t be the first married pair where one is the other superior. Why don’t you go tell her about her promotion?” Jean-Luc smiled widely, but decided that protocol needed to be maintained. What he really wanted to do was exclaim for joy, but he settled on a sedate, “Thank you, Sir.”

###

Beverly was overjoyed to find out she was being promoted. “And here I thought I was going to have to sleep with the Captain to gain my promotion.” She slyly smiled at Jean-Luc.

He grinned back. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that!” Beverly rolled her eyes and leaned back into the sofa. She still had several hour before Wesley needed to be picked up, and she intended to relax. It was good to have Jean-Luc home. She knew he would be more than willing to pick up their son from school since he had been away. Jean-Luc motioned for her to place her feet in his lap and she closed her eyes when he removed her shoes and socks and began rubbing her feet.

“Mm. So what’s the plan?” 

“For the sex or...” Beverly leaned forward and swatted him. “The ship. My leave. _Our_ leave.” He grinned. It was fun riling his wife up.

“Well, we’re going to try to get the ship functioning enough and clean enough that we can take it to Utopia Planetia without a tow. Then, it’ll be there for at least six months while they fix and overhaul it.” 

“Well, that’s a happy coincidence. I suppose we can all move back and I can finish off my mat leave on the ship?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Yep. And since we’ll be docked for upgrades, I’m going to ask them to add a third bedroom to our quarters for the baby so Wesley won’t have to share.” Beverly leaned forward again and dragged a finger down his face. “But won’t we be living in the _Captain’s_ quarters and not our old ones?” Jean-Luc furrowed his brow. He hadn’t given the other perks of his promotion a thought, but he supposed they would be moving into the more spacious accommodations. They would have to take a look and see if anything needed to be changed.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that. I suppose we ought to go take a look at his...er....our quarters.” Beverly swung her feet around and rose from the sofa, reaching for his hand. “Come on!” 

“You want to go _now_?” He shot an incredulous look at his wife. Their son was at school and this was a rare opportunity to be alone, and she wanted to go tour the ship? Beverly put her hands on her hips and Jean-Luc shook his head. He was _doomed_. 

“Wes is at school for another few hours. We have time to look.” Jean-Luc sighed, but stood to join her. “Alright, but we’re finishing _that_ later.”

“You can count on it!”

###

The Stargazer was a relatively small ship. It was capable of functioning with only forty crew, though they usually had double that amount to allow for full shifts and rest days. The lower ranks all shared quarters in doubles and triples, and even the singles offered to the non-senior staff were fairly sparse. The second officer quarters that Jean-Luc and Beverly previously occupied were small but adequate for their small family. Jean-Luc had never been in the First Officer or Captain’s quarters before, and he was shocked to discover how large the Captain’s quarters were in comparison to the rest of the ship.

“Well, I guess the Captain lives in luxury.” Beverly glanced around the large suite. “Think we’ll all fit?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“I don’t see that being a problem. I see they’ve already removed Benilev’s personal effects. Do you want the furniture swapped from our quarters?” 

“Well, at least the furniture from Wesley’s room. But, he didn’t die in his quarters, so I’d be ok with keeping the bed.” Beverly wandered into the bedroom and flopped on the bed. “Mm, comfy. Come here, _Captain_.”

Jean-Luc walked into the bedroom and laughed at his wife sprawled out on the large bed. The bed was larger than the one in their former quarters. “You’re insane.” 

“Mm, but come over here and tell me that to my face, _Captain_.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes but joined his wife on the bed. She rolled over and kissed him.

“Can’t straddle you right now, or I would.” He chuckled.

“Ah, and they say romance is dead.” Beverly glared.

“Just figure out how to make love to your twenty-eight-week pregnant wife right now. I swear, I’m bigger sooner this time.” 

Jean-Luc ran his hands over her belly gently. “And you’re beautiful.” 

###

Jean-Luc was advised by the engineers at Utopia to have everyone pack up their belongings in case the engineers needed to access any of the crew quarters. Beverly decided to take the time to sort their belongings as they packed into boxes that could go straight into the attic at home, and thing that they would want to keep on the ship. Of course, with Beverly and Wesley possibly being off the ship for a year, Beverly packed up most of Wesley’s belongings to be sent to the vineyard. Beverly was sure the needs of a six-year-old would be vastly different from those of a four-year-old. 

Jean-Luc was trying to help Beverly as much as he could, but his new Captain duties kept him busy, including the daunting task of emptying out the Ready Room and separating the items into things that belonged to Benilev to be sent to his next of kin, things that belonged to Starfleet, things he wanted to keep in his ready room, and things that belonged elsewhere on the ship or didn’t belong on the ship at all. Jean-Luc looked around the near-empty room in awe as the door chime went off.

“Come!”

Walker entered the room and let out a low whistle. “Didn’t realise how large the office was without Benilev in it.” Walker knew he shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but Benilev had been a bit larger than life.

“Me neither. It’s surprising. What do you think if I add a small conference table so we can hold meetings in here instead of in the lounge?” 

“Might be an idea.” Jean-Luc nodded and made a note to request one. 

“So, what did you come here for? I doubt it was to talk interior decorating, but while we’re on the subject, how do you like your new quarters?” Walker laughed.

“They’re brilliant. Sora will love them. Captain, you need to decided who your new Chief of Engineering is going to be.” 

“I see. I suppose it would be foolish to ask you to be both my chief and my first officer?” Walker rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well...if you _really_ want me to be both, of course I’m happy too, but...”

“It’s a lot of work. Alright, give me your recommendations. You know your crew better than I. We also need to settle on a second officer, and I value your opinion in this matter.”

“You don’t have any ideas, do you?”

“Not a clue.”

###

The trip back to Earth took longer than anticipated, due to their warp speed being restricted. Jean-Luc spent most of his time in his ready room reassigning his crew temporarily - the engineers and Walker would stay on Utopia Planetia to work on the ship, and most of the scientists had chosen to stay on Starbase 32 with their projects. Sora had requested to go on shore leave before taking up an assignment at Starfleet Medical, and would be coming home to La Barre with them to help Beverly with the birth. Walker was happy, as he would be able to see his girlfriend and he served notice to the current tenants of the flat and planned for Sora and him to move back in. Jean-Luc and Beverly told them to use the master bedroom, since if Jean-Luc and Beverly were needed at Command, they would need the other three bedrooms for their family. 

Beverly and Sora were in Sickbay, working on some of their research. Sora was going to transfer everything to a lab at Starfleet Medical and continue their project – finding a cure to prevent Shalaft’s Syndrome and to treat those who already were exposed to it from developing it as they aged. Beverly and Jean-Luc had been a bit relieved to find out their second child would be a girl, but after speaking with Jean-Luc’s Tante Adele, Beverly had discovered the disease still affected female children. Adele wrote of having constant earaches when she was six but her parents thought she was faking it for attention due to her younger brother, Charles, suffering from Shalaft’s at the time. It had finally taken a trip to the doctor for an annual check-up before it was taken seriously, and it had been fixed with a much simpler procedure. 

Adele had offered to submit her DNA for their research, and she was going to finally come home to La Barre for Christmas that year, the first time she would be home in many years. Beverly had joked that she and Jean-Luc would have to sleep elsewhere since Adele might want her bedroom during her visit, and little did she know that Yvette had completely renovated the barn and converted it into a cottage for the family. 

“I think once we have Adele Picard’s DNA, we should be able to figure it out. It’s been hard without a Picard female’s DNA to look at, and I think having those clues will help immensely.” Sora glanced over at Beverly while she was in the middle of transferring her data. Beverly looked up from her own console.

“ I know. And I suppose, there’s the baby’s too. I’m glad we have a sample of Wesley’s before the Shalaft’s took hold.” Sora nodded.

“I should be done the testing on his samples soon. I think we _can_ create some kind of vaccine...and I’d love to have it ready to use on the baby before she develops any problems.” Beverly snorted.

“Using my child as a guinea pig?”

“Uhm.....yes?” Beverly rolled her eyes.

“I wonder if we could develop it so that the current adult carriers can’t pass the disease on to their children?” Sora grinned at her friend.

“Thinking about baby number three before number two is born?”

“And Robert and Marie. Marie told me they’re thinking about trying for a baby soon, but Robert is worried about passing on Shalaft’s. I’d love to be able to give them some kind of assurance they won’t, or that we can prevent it from developing. Jean-Luc was wary of trying for a second child, even though we both wanted one.” Sora patted her friend’s arm.

“We’ll work on it. Don’t worry.” 

Beverly suddenly grinned and grabbed Sora’s hand. “She’s moving!” Beverly pressed Sora’s hand to her belly and Sora’s eyes went wide.

“ _Woah!_ ” Beverly laughed at her friend’s expression.

“You were around when I was pregnant with Wes.” 

“I know, but it’s still cool. Has Johnny felt the baby yet?” Beverly nodded.

“Yeah. Last night. And Wesley even got to feel her move, too. I don’t think he realised there was a little person inside of me until then.” Sora laughed. 

“Won’t he be surprised when she’s born. Have you thought of names yet? I mean, Sora is a pretty good name for a girl. Just saying.” Beverly snorted. 

“No. We seem to be unable to decide if we want to name her after someone in our lives, like we did with Wes, or give her a unique name of her own.” 

“What names have you thought of?” 

“Well, Isabel after my mother, or Adele for Jean-Luc’s Tante Adele. Felisa and Yvette are both on our lists and, Beverly looked at her hands before speaking, “Jacqueline.”

“ _Jacqueline_? As in...Jack?” Beverly rubbed her stomach gently.

“Yeah. He....he saved Jean-Luc’s life.” Tears sprang to Beverly’s eyes and Sora tugged her towards the sofa in the corner of their shared office. 

“You didn’t tell me that!” 

“When Jack was shot on the planet....the shooter was aiming at Jean-Luc and Jack just...stepped in front of it to protect him. He told Jean-Luc,” Beverly’s voice caught, “He told him he needed to be there for me and the children.” 

“Wow. So Jack had a heart after all.” Beverly smiled through her tears. 

“Jean-Luc said they had a big heart-to-heart the night before the mission. Jack apologized for everything and said he was glad Wesley was Jean-Luc’s...and he said he knew I wouldn’t have been happy with him. What’s more fitting than naming our child after the man who saved her father?”

“Even though he was once your fiancé?” 

“We try not to think about that.” Sora nodded.

“So if you use Jacqueline, what would you tell her when she asks who she is named for if she ever asks?”

“One of our best friends who saved her father’s life. I don’t even intend on ever telling Wesley about my brief relationship with Jack, and Jean-Luc would love to permanently forget about Phil. Jean-Luc maintains that this December will be our tenth anniversary.” 

“Oh Wow, doing anything special?” Beverly snorted.

“With a two-month-old and a four-year-old? Not a chance.”

###

Yvette was waiting for the shuttle to land on the back field Maurice had grudgingly told Jean-Luc he could land he shuttle on. It would only be parked there for a few weeks – Walker would fly it back to Utopia Planetia when he arrived for a visit, but the family had needed the space in the shuttle for their boxes they were bringing home, not to mention it was easier for Beverly. 

Yvette grinned at Marie, who was waiting with her. “Is that it?” She pointed at a small speck on the horizon. Marie shrugged. “I have no idea. But it’s getting closer, so maybe.” The shuttle circled the vineyard and touched gently down on the field. Yvette had no idea if it was dangerous to walk towards it while it was powered on or not, so she waited until the door opened to make her way towards the shuttle. 

Wesley was the first one out. “Mémé!” He ran to his grandmother and flung himself at her. 

“Oof,” she pretended to say as she hugged him close. “Hello, my boy. I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too, Mémé.” Marie smiled watching the interaction and glanced over at the shuttle where her very pregnant sister-in-law was being helped out of the shuttle by Jean-Luc with one of his hands holding onto the cat carrier for Baby. Marie grinned and Beverly called over to her.

“Wes has his mémé now, I see I’m not needed.” Marie laughed and hurried over to her friend to embrace her. 

“Beverly, you look beautiful.” 

“Hmm. Thanks.” They exchanged cheek kisses and then Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed Marie’s cheeks. “Good to see you, Marie.”

“You too, Jean-Luc, I promise.” He snorted.

“Don’t pretend. You’re only interested in my lovely wife, and Maman is only interested in Bev and Wes. I could be back on my ship for all that anyone cares.” Beverly smacked his chest and he grinned. “You know I’m right,” he leaned over and kissed her. 

“Well, _I_ need you,” she paused and grinned. “To carry my cat, rub my feet, and get me my tea.” Marie smiled at their antics and reached for the bag Beverly was holding. 

“Yvette has a surprise for you.” 

Yvette greeted her son and daughter in law, and as Jean-Luc predicted, lavished far more attention on Beverly than him. He grinned at Marie and mouthed ‘told you so’. Marie reached out and swatted at him and Yvette caught the action.

“Did I miss something?”

“No, Maman,” he gave his mother a kiss on her cheek. “Marie said you had a surprise?”

“I do. Come with me.” They followed Yvette over to the barn with their loft and Jean-Luc looked at the door, puzzled.

“A regular door? And..are those curtains?” 

“Hmm. Open the door.”

Jean-Luc pushed open the door and they all filed in. Yvette turned on the light and Beverly gasped. “Maman...” Yvette smiled. 

“I don’t want you to think we’re kicking you out of the house, but we thought you might like a home of your own for your little family...and since you already spent a lot of time in here, I thought I would convert the barn into a house for you.” 

“Wow.” Beverly was busy looking around and didn’t notice when Jean-Luc set the cat basket down and let Baby out. Baby sniffed at the air and headed straight for the steps, causing Yvette to laugh.

“The bedroom is still up there, Baby.” 

“Maman, what did you do?” Jean-Luc looked around the barn in wonder. 

“Well, you know how we set this up for you when Wesley had his surgery?” Jean-Luc nodded. “I contacted the architect who helped design the loft and asked him if he could convert this barn to a proper home, and he did. Would you like a tour?”

“Oh, yes please, Maman!” Yvette smiled at Beverly.

“We tried to keep the downstairs as open as possible, but I worried about it getting draughty in the winter so we added a fireplace and created a few rooms. This is your living room, dining, and kitchen area in case you couldn’t tell.” Jean-Luc grinned at his mother. Wesley looked around.

“It’s like our home on the ship!” Yvette smiled.

“So you have a few spare rooms down here that could be extra bedrooms or an office or a playroom for Wes...whatever you need them to be and there’s a bathroom down here. Wesley, would you like to see your bedroom?”

“Yeah!” Yvette smiled at his enthusiasm.

“Let’s go upstairs.” Wesley turned and ran full speed up the steps.

“Don’t run....” Wesley stopped in the middle of the staircase and turned around.

“Sowwy, Mémé.”

The main portion of the loft that Beverly and Jean-Luc had always used was now their bedroom, complete with a new bed (that Baby was now curled up on washing her paws) and an attached bathroom. Off of their bedroom was a smaller room that could be used as the nursery for the baby. A corridor now extended along the front of the loft and the loft had been extended to cover the entire width of the barn. Two more bedrooms were on the opposite side. Yvette pushed one of the doors open and Wesley grinned. “Is this my room?” Yvette nodded.

“Do you like it?” Wesley threw his arms around his grandmother.

“Thank you Mémé!” Jean-Luc ruffled Wesley’s hair.

“Yes, thank you, Maman. You didn’t have to do this for us. We would have been happy staying in the house....or is this part of your plan to not get woken up by baby cries in the middle of the night?” Jean-Luc grinned at his mother. 

“You know I would not mind. Your father and I just thought you would appreciate having your own space. Naturally, we expect you over at the house as much as you’d like and you are welcome over for meals. And, I have another surprise for you in your kitchen.” 

They left Wesley playing in his new room and the adults followed Yvette back into the kitchen. Beverly stared. “Is that what I think that is?” Built into the back wall was a shiny new replicator.

“ _Oui._ Maurice may not want one in _our_ house, but there’s no reason you couldn’t have one. I know you have come to rely on one on the ship.” Beverly nodded and embraced her mother-in-law.

“It will be especially handy once the baby arrives. Thank you, Maman. This means so much to me.” Tears sprung to Beverly’s eyes and she wiped them away. “Sorry. It’s happy tears, I promise. Hormones...” Yvette patted Beverly’s back.

“You don’t need to explain, my dear.”

###

Sora arrived several weeks later with Walker in tow. “Found someone on my way here. Not sure i you want him around though...” Sora smirked at Beverly. Wesley heard Sora’s voice and ran out of his playroom.

“Uncle Wally!” 

“Hey, kid.” Wesley tugged on Walker’s hand.

“Come on, I wanna show you my room!” Walker turned back to Beverly and blew her a kiss.

“Uh, hi Bev. Bye Bev.” Beverly laughed. 

“Right. There are two spare bedrooms down here. I don’t care if you each use one or if you share one.” Sora grinned at her friend. 

“We’ll share.”

“Ah, on again?” Sora and Walker had fought on the way back to Earth and Beverly didn’t pretend to understand their relationship, which had been going on for almost as long as she and Jean-Luc had, with the exception that Sora and Walker had dated several other people in between. Sora smiled at her friend.

“Yeah. On again. And I think this time it might stick.”

“Oh?”

“Well...Walker gave me this,” Sora held out her hand, where a simple solitaire was adorning her finger. 

“Engaged?”

“Uh-huh!” Sora grinned and Beverly squealed. Upstairs, Walker laughed.

“What’s so funny, Uncle Wally?” 

“You mother and your Aunt Sora, Wes.” Wesley scrunched up his face. 

“I don’t hear Mommy laughing.” Walker shook his head. 

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Back downstairs Beverly was demanding details and extracting a promise that the wedding wouldn’t be until after she lost the baby weight. Sora had laughed. “How about six months? Is that enough time?” 

“So when the ship goes back out, you’ll be Doctor Keel?” Sora nodded. 

“And you’ll be my matron of honour?” Beverly pretended to think about it.

“Can I have a dress that will let me breastfeed Jacqui?” 

“So you decided on her name?” Beverly nodded.

“I just...I feel like it’s the right thing to do.” Sora patted her friend’s arm.

“I think Jack would feel honoured. And to answer your question...yes. You can wear whatever you want. Think Wes would be our ring bearer?”

“You can ask him, but good luck getting him into a suit.” Sora laughed.

“Not even for his Auntie Sowwa?” Beverly grinned.

“Alright. Maybe.” 

“Wally can’t decide if he wants to ask Johnny to marry us or be his best man.” Beverly shrugged.

“I suppose he can’t be both.” 

“No. I mean, Wally said he would have asked Jack and Johnny, but Jack would have been the one to stand up with us so Johnny could marry us.” Beverly thought about it for a minute.

“So...don’t have anyone as Best Man and if people ask, tell them it’s being left for Jack.” Sora sniffed.

“That’s so...that’s so perfect and beautiful.” Both girls were soon crying holding each other and Jean-Luc panicked when he walked into the house and dropped to his knees in front of them. 

“Bev? Sora? Are you both ok? Is the baby ok? Wes? Maman?” 

Sora sniffed. “Yeah, Johnny. We’re fine.” Jean-Luc eyed his wife. “Bev?” 

“I’m alright. We’re all alright. We were talking about Jack.” 

“Oh.” Jean-Luc inserted himself between the crying ladies and wrapped an arm around each of them.

“Who knew we’d be crying over Jack, eh?” Sora sniffed. “He was such a jerk.”

“Yeah, but he was _our_ jerk.” Beverly rested her head on Jean-Luc’s shoulder and caressed her belly. “I told Sora we plan on naming the baby Jacqueline.” Jean-Luc tilted his head and kissed the top of Beverly’s head.

“I take it you like the idea?” Sora nodded.

“Yeah, then we started talking about my wedding...”

“Wedding? You’re getting married?”

“Didn’t Walker tell you? We’re getting married!” Jean-Luc grinned and tightened his grip on Sora before leaning over to kiss her cheek.

“Congratulations. I’ll say to him the same thing he said to Bev. ‘Are you _sure_ you want to be stuck with him’?” Sora laughed. “Yeah.”

“Oi, Johnny! You have a wife. Get off mine!” Jean-Luc smirked as Walker came down the stairs with Wesley following behind.

“One, you’re not married yet. Two, turnabouts fair play, and three...Congratulations, buddy.” Wesley settled himself on his father’s lap and looked at his mother.

“Mommy, were you crying?”

“Yeah, baby. I was.” Wesley frowned. “How come? Cos Uncle Wally said you were being funny, but crying isn’t funny.” Beverly smiled and pulled Wesley onto her lap.

“Aunt Sora and I were talking about our friend Jack and it made us sad because we won’t get to see him again.” Walker frowned and sat down on Sora’s other side and she folded herself into his arms. 

“Cos he died and you’re gonna name my sister after him,” Wesley said solemnly.

“That’s right.”

“Mommy, you can’t call me baby anymore.” 

“Why not?” Wesley puffed out his chest.

“’M not a baby. Jacqui will be the baby. And BabyCat is Baby.” 

“Oh, I see. Well, we’ll just have to come up with a different name for you.” 

“Squirt works pretty well,” Jean-Luc tickled Wesley under his chin and he giggled.

“Daaaadddddyyyyy, stooooooop.” Jean-Luc stilled his hands but grinned. 

“Alright, Squirt. Time for us to go see Mémé and Pépé for dinner and then get you bathed and in bed.”

“Ohhhh,” Wesley whinged. “Why can’t I stay up with you?” Jean-Luc searched for the right words. He finally settled on

“Big brothers need to get their rest.” 

“Oh. Is zat why Oncle Robert goes to sleep before you?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“Yep.” 

###

Wesley was excited. He was going to sleep over his Oncle Robert and Tante Marie’s house and when he came home, he would have a little sister. He packed his bag and raced back downstairs. “I’m ready Uncle Robert!” 

Robert grinned and placed a hand on Jean-Luc’s shoulder. “Give Beverly my love. We’ll meet the little one in the morning.”

“Thanks for looking after that one for us. Beverly was worried...well...” Robert held up his hands.

“I don’t want to know, or you’ll convince me not to have children with Marie.” Jean-Luc chuckled and then dropped to his knees in front of Wesley. 

“Wes, I need you to listen to Oncle Robert and Tante Marie tonight, alright? When they tell you it’s bedtime, it’s bedtime. You may have one story, but that’s it. No milking Oncle Robert or Tante Marie for more.” 

“An’ when I wake up my sister will be here?” Wesley grinned excitedly at his father, who smiled.

“Hopefully. “

“Daddy, can I say goodbye to Mommy?” 

“Mommy’s at the big house, but alright. We can walk over there before you go with Uncle Robert.” Jean-Luc picked up Wesley’s bag and teddy bear and escorted him across the courtyard to the “big house” as Wesley had started calling the main house. Wesley thundered up the stairs.

“Mommy?” Yvette held a finger to her lips, in a shushing motion.

“Shh, Wes. Pépé is in bed. Your mother is taking a bath.” Wesley frowned.

“Oh. But I wanted to say goodnight to her,” he stage whispered, making Yvette softly laugh. Yvette reached for his hand. 

“Come up with me. We’ll have to knock on the door first.”

“Kay.” 

Wesley knocked on the bathroom door “Mommy, I wanna say goodnight to you?” Jean-Luc heard splashing and Beverly was soon calling him into the room. She was sitting on the side of the bathtub with her dressing gown wrapped around her. Wesley entered with Jean-Luc and came to stand at in front of her. “Goodnight Mommy. Can I say goodnight to Jacqui too?” 

“Sure.” Wesley patted his mother’s stomach. “Night night, Jacqui.” 

“Come here, let me give you a kiss.” Wesley moved forward and Beverly kissed his forehead. “Goodnight, Sweetheart.”

Jean-Luc leaned down and pressed a kiss to Beverly’s lips. “I’ll be right back, my love. Just taking Wes over to Robert’s. Are you ok?” Beverly nodded.

“I’m alright. I was just having a nice bath to help things. Did Wesley see the plastic tub in the bedroom?”

“I don’t think so. He didn’t ask, at any rate.” Beverly grinned.

“If he had, he’d probably ask to swim in it.” 

“Probably. I’ll be right back.” 

“We’ll be here....”


	34. Chapter 34

Jacqueline Yvette Picard came into the world much faster than her older brother. Jean-Luc had barely positioned himself behind his wife in the tub before Sora told her to start pushing. Beverly held their daughter to her chest for a few moments before Sora showed Jean-Luc how to cut the cord again and took Jacqui to be cleaned up. Jean-Luc, per Beverly’s request, followed Sora after he gave her a kiss and left Beverly in the capable hands of their now old friend, Doctor Keats, for the afterbirth and clean-up. 

Jean-Luc gazed down at the baby as Sora passed her to him. “Sora, she’s perfect. Just look at her. And look at her hair!” Sora grinned at his friend. “Definitely Bev’s child. Now go show her off to her grandparents and Wally while I help Bev get cleaned up for visitors.”

“I could...” Sora shook her head. “Do you want your wife mad at you on this special day? And not only would she get mad at you for walking back over there, she’d get mad at _m_ e for letting you.” Jean-Luc frowned. “Besides, your little princess is going to need to be fed soon, and Beverly wants to be in bed before then.” Jean-Luc nodded at Sora and risked a glance over his shoulder at his wife still in the birthing pool before he carried the newborn into the hallway to meet part of her family. 

“My _Princesse_ has a _Princesse._ “ Maurice said as he took the small bundle from his son and gently kissed her forehead. “Aren’t you just lovely. What have you named her?”

“Jacqueline Yvette. She’ll be Jacqui for short.” Yvette smiled.

“That’s lovely, Jean-Luc. I’m sure Jack would...” she trailed off.

“Jack would take the piss out of you for being so sentimental.” Walker finished. Jean-Luc grinned.

“Probably.” Sora opened the bedroom door.

“Johnny? Bev is ready for you to come back in.” Jean-Luc gently took the baby from his father who patted him on the shoulder.

“Tell the _princesse_ we’ll be in to see her later.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“Wal? Could you go over and tell Robert and Marie she’s arrived? But _try_ not to wake Wesley....”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Walker grinned as the door shut on Jean-Luc. Walker glanced at Yvette. “Chances of Wes already being asleep?”

“Slim,” Yvette said as she patted his arm. “But I don’t think Jean-Luc and Beverly will be _too_ mad if he’s still awake.”

Jean-Luc carried Jacqueline over to the bed and watched as Beverly placed her against her breast. He leaned over and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Are you getting in this bed with me?” 

“Uhm, I’m still in my wet shorts.” Beverly softly laughed, not wanting to disturb the baby. 

“So go change in the bathroom. We aren’t going anywhere, are we, little girl?” 

Jean-Luc grinned and grabbed a pair of dry shorts before heading into the bathroom. He passed Sora on his way into the bathroom and she squeezed his arm. “Congratulations, Daddy. I’m just going to clean up in here for you guys and then go to bed. Bev said you guys are sleeping here tonight?” 

“We thought it would be best. Less movement for Beverly and the baby.” Sora nodded. 

“Good idea. Wally still here?”

“I asked him to go tell Robert and Marie....I expect he’ll return with a very exited four-year-old, too.” Sora laughed.

“Probably.”

Jean-Luc climbed into the bed next to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for giving me a daughter.” Beverly tilted her head to press a kiss to Jean-Luc’s neck.

“Isn’t she perfect?” Jean-Luc gazed at his daughter and grinned.

“ _Both_ of our babies are perfect.” Beverly smiled and nudged him slightly.

“You ready to experience life with a four-year-old _and_ a newborn?” 

“Nope, but it’ll be a fun ride. You?” Beverly shook her head.

“Not at all.” 

They heard thundering on the steps and exchanged a grin before the door burst open “Mommy! Daddy!” Jean-Luc held a finger to his lips.

“Shh, Wes. Can you whisper for me?” 

“Ok,” Wesley exaggeratedly whispered. 

“Come here and meet your sister.” Wesley climbed into the bed and Jean-Luc settled him between his legs. He looked at Jacqui and wrinkled his nose.

“She’s little.”

“Well...yes. What were you expecting?” 

“I wanted to play with her!” Beverly smiled.

“You will. Just not right away, alright?”

“Cos Jacqui needs to grow first?” Beverly nodded.

“She’ll sleep a lot the first few months.” 

“But then I can play with her?” 

“Sometimes. But I don’t think she’ll be able to play with _your_ toys. But you can show her how to play with _hers_.” Wesley nodded and looked at his little sister.

“Mommy, what are you doing?”

“Well, Jacqui is having breakfast.” 

“But it’s not Breakfast time!” Jean-Luc chuckled. “For Jacqui, it is. She fed you like that when you were little, too.” Jacqui choose that moment to yawn and Wesley giggled. 

“She has a tiny mouth!”

“Would you like to hold her?” 

“Can I?” Jean-Luc glanced at Beverly who had suggested it. 

“If Daddy will help you.” Jean-Luc relaxed. 

“Alright, Wes. Get comfortable on my lap and let me move your arms, alright?” Wesley nodded and Jean-Luc arranged Wesley’s arms into a cradle and wrapped his own arms under. “Ok, Mommy’s going to pass you Jacqui and it’s important that you don’t move. We have to support her head gently. I’ll help. And if you get tired of holding her, just tell us, ok?” 

“Ok. What if I haveta sneeze?” 

“Do you think you’re going to?” Wesley shook his head.

“No, I just wanted to know what would happen.” Jean-Luc shook his head.

“You’d probably startle her, but it would be ok. Now, are you ready?” Wesley nodded. Beverly gently lowered the baby into Wesley’s arms and with Jean-Luc’s support, Wesley was soon holding his little sister. He giggled and looked at her face.

“Hi Baby. But you’re not baby, because the cat is Baby and Mommy calls me baby, but you’re a baby, so I guess you’re baby too?” Beverly shook her head at her son’s babbling, but hearing Baby multiple times brought the old cat out from under the bed. Baby was ten now, but still going strong. She jumped up on the bed and sniffed at Jacqui’s head before settling herself regally on the pillow . Jean-Luc grinned.

“What do you think, Baby?” The cat just gave him a look as if to say “It’s a baby. I’ll let you know when she’s older.”

Robert and Marie knocked on the door and Beverly beckoned them in. Robert happened to have his camera and he quickly took a picture of the family all together on the bed before he and Marie approached the bed. Marie gazed down at the baby. “She’s gorgeous, Beverly.” 

“Tante Marie, was I this little too?” Marie nodded.

“Yes, Wesley. Now then, you were supposed to be in bed.”

“I know, but Uncle Wally said Mommy had the baby an’ I had to come see her.” Marie shot him a stern look and Wesley frowned. “I’m sorry.” 

“Hmm. May I hold the baby?” Wesley nodded and Marie gently took Jacqui from him and Wesley snuggled down in his father’s arms. 

“Daddy, I like Jacqui. She’s nice.” 

###

The now four-member family tried to settle into a schedule. They enrolled Wesley in the local pre-school and he was soon able to speak French more fluently than his mother. Beverly laughed as she listened to her son babble at her when she only could catch every few words, but she loved listening to Jean-Luc and Wesley speak the mother tongue. Maurice got a chuckle out of reading the French children’s books leftover from when Jean-Luc and Robert were children and enjoyed time with his grandson _and_ his granddaughter. 

Maurice knocked before entering the converted house. “ _Princesse,_ how’s the _petite_ _Princesse?_ ” Beverly grinned at her father-in-law. “She’s sleeping upstairs with Baby presiding over her if you want to go look in on her. Can I make you a cup of tea?” 

“From that new fangled replicator of yours?” Beverly shook her head .”No, Papa. I’ll make it for you the proper way.” 

“Alright. Thank you.” Beverly set the kettle on and watched Maurice climb up the steps and soon heard him whispering in French to the baby. Beverly grinned. Either Jacqui had woken up, or Maurice was talking to the cat. Beverly heard Jacqui cry, but she didn’t move, figuring Maurice knew how to handle a baby. Jean-Luc and Wesley arrived home from Wesley’s day at pre-school at the same time, so she was busy in the kitchen getting Wesley his snack anyway.

“ _Princesse,_ Can you come up here?” Beverly raised her eyebrows at her husband but walked up the stairs and into the nursery . “The little one needs a change.” This time, Beverly addressed her eyebrow raise to Maurice. “You _do_ know how to change a diaper, Papa.”

“I know, but..she’s a _girl_.” 

“Oh, well spotted Papa.” Beverly grinned at his bewildered look. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ve only ever changed boys. Is it...different?” Beverly shook her head. “Not really. Just different body parts . Wipe her front to back and if she looks a little red, apply the ointment.” 

“Is it ok if I touch her?” Beverly laughed. “Yes. It’s just a diaper, Papa.” 

“Can I help?” Wesley came into the nursery and Beverly smiled at him. “You sure can. Show Pépé where everything is that he needs.” 

“Ok!” Wesley pulled out a diaper, baby wipes, and the diaper rash cream. “You’ll need this Pépé. Jacqui has diaper rash.” 

“Alright, _petite princesse_ , let’s get you changed.” 

“Pépé, how come you call Jacqui a petite pwincess?” Maurice concentrated on changing Jacqui before he answered. “I suppose because I always call your mother _Princesse.”_

“But how come I’m not a pwince?” 

“Do you want to be a prince?”

“Uh huh!” Maurice grinned at Wesley as he passed Jacqui back to Beverly. “Alright, you can be my _petit prince.”_

###

Wesley was at school and Jacqui was sleeping when Robert and Jean-Luc struggled to bring a large tree into the small house. Beverly just stared at them. “What’s this?”

“It’s a tree.” Beverly rolled her eyes at her brother-in-law. “Yes, I can see that, but what’s it doing in my living room?”

“Ah...Jean-Jean? You want to take this one?” 

“Don’t try using my childhood nickname on me, Robbie. This was _your_ idea.” Robert grinned.

“I thought you might like a Christmas tree in here.” Beverly sputtered.

“But...we’re spending Christmas over at the big house. What do we need a tree for over here? We’re not even sleeping here Christmas Eve.” 

“Ah, actually, we are.” Beverly crossed her arms and glared at her husband. 

“What do you mean?” Jean-Luc walked up to her and gently uncrossed her arms to grasp her hands. “You and me, sweetheart. For our anniversary?”

“And what about our children?” 

“Marie and I will look after them since Maman wants the rest of us at home. Plus Tante Adele will be here with her companion.” Beverly raised her eyebrows.

“Companion?”

“She wouldn’t tell Maman who she was bringing. Just a surprise.” 

“I see. And...you’re _sure_ you want to handle a four-year-old _and_ a baby? I mean...Wesley will probably be pretty excited.” Robert grinned. “Ah, consider it part of our training.”

“Training?” Beverly eyed her brother and then her eyes widened. “Robbie!” Beverly threw her arms around him and squeezed. “Congratulations! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Marie wants to tell Maman and Papa on Christmas, though I think Maman might suspect since Marie hasn’t been drinking wine with dinner.” 

“Eh, she can tell Maman she’s not drinking in solidarity with me.” Beverly eyed the tree critically. “Uhm...I’ve never had a Christmas tree before. What do we _do_ with it?” 

Jean-Luc grinned at his spouse. “Well, Robert and I will get a stand set up and then we have to keep the water bowl filled with water and then we can decorate it...there’s lots of decorations in the attic at the house and I’m sure we can use the leftovers or we can get some of our own?” Beverly smiled. 

“If I wrap up Jacqui, we could go look in town after picking Wes up at school.” Jean-Luc chuckled.

“With Wes, we never left the house. With Jacqui, we’ve been all over.” Beverly grinned back.

“What can I say? I know what I’m doing this time!” She planted a kiss on Jean-Luc’s lips. “We’ll be ready in a few. Oh, and if Baby tries to climb the tree, _you’re_ getting her down!”

Jean-Luc glanced down fifteen minutes later at what he could only describe as a giant marshmallow in Beverly’s arms. “Is there a baby in there?”

“Shh, you. Sora bought this for Jacqui. It’ll keep her warm.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but can you _find_ her in there?” 

“Do you _really_ think it’s too much?” Beverly turned worried eyes to him as she placed Jacqui in the pram. Jean-Luc shook his head and dropped a kiss on Beverly’s cheek.

“I think she’ll be warm, which is what you want, right?” 

Beverly nodded and handed the baby bag. He leaned down over the pram and found his daughter’s face. “Ready to go pick up your big brother?” He gently pressed a finger to her nose. “What did you say? You think you look like a marshmallow?” He pretended to be shocked “I’m surprised at you, Jacqui.” Beverly shook her head and removed Jacqui from the pram.

“I take your point. I’ll change her.” 

“Maybe save that for when it actually snows?” 

“Hmm. We should take the kids to the alps again. “ Jean-Luc grinned. 

“I’d suggest the same room, but I don’t know how much time we’d have alone...” Beverly leaned over and kissed him on the way to the stairs.

“We’ll make time. Book it.”

###

Both children were sound asleep and Beverly relaxed into Jean-Luc’s arms and gazed at the Christmas tree in the corner. It was full of twinkling lights Jean-Luc had carefully strung and it had a plethora of ornaments on the bottom, compliments of Wesley’s enthusiastic decorating, but not much else. Baby was snoozing under the tree on top of the tree skirt. She grinned. It was perfect. 

Jean-Luc kissed the top of her head as they watched the flames of the fireplace together. “Happy, Bev?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Couldn’t be happier.” Beverly wrapped his arms around her more securely.

“How are the upgrades going?” 

“Walker said it’s slow. He thinks it might be longer than six months, so...you might get me home longer unless Admiral Quinn decides to send me someplace.”

“He wouldn’t.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.

“He might have to.” Beverly sighed.

“Well, I suppose if we need to move, we’ll just move with you. Wesley doesn’t _need_ to go to a French pre-school.” 

Jean-Luc threaded their fingers together. “True, but he enjoys it and he’s making friends. I imagine it’s going to be hard for him when we’re back on the ship as he gets older, being the son of the Captain...Jacqui too.” Beverly laughed.

“I pity the boys who want to date her when she’s older.”

“Quite.” Beverly yawned. “Tired, Sweetheart?”

“Well, Jacqui is going to be awake in about an hour and be hungry. Might as well stay awake until then.” 

“Want to go be awake in bed?” 

“Mm, now you’re talking.”

###

Maurice was pacing around the living room, and Wesley was copying him. “Why are we walkin in circles Pépé?” 

“Ah, my _petit prince_. My little sister is coming to visit. Remember, we told you about her?” 

“Uh huh. Like Jacqui is my little sister.” Maurice nodded.

“Similar, but she’s an adult.” 

“Oh. So I can’t play with her?” Wesley frowned. When he had been told his grandfather’s younger sister was coming to visit, he had assumed he would be able to play with her. 

“Well, you’ll have to ask her, but I bet she’d like to get to know her. Can you remember her name?”

“Tante Add Ell.” Maurice grinned. “Close enough.”

“Wes, come on over here and leave Pépé alone.” Wesley came over to his mother, who was on the floor with Jacqui. Jacqui was laying on a blanket on the floor and there was a mobile hanging above her head. Wesley sat and absently played with the mobile, making the shapes spin and watched as his sister watched the shapes. 

“When will Jacqui do something in’res’in’?”

“What do you mean?” 

“She’s kinda borin.” Beverly sighed. 

“Give her a few more months. She’ll start trying to roll over and sit up and then we can start to play with her.” 

“Ok. Where’s Daddy?”

“He and Oncle Robert went to pick up Tante Adele. They’ll be back soon.” Wesley nodded.

“I’m hungry, Mommy. Can I have a snack?”

“Go into the kitchen and ask Mémé for something.” Wesley ran into the kitchen, and after making sure Jacqui was alright, Beverly rose to give Maurice a hug. “Calm down, Papa. You know it will be fine.” 

“It’s been so long, _Princesse._ I worry that she...well, we didn’t part very well. Charles, our younger brother, had passed away. He wasn’t very old, only twenty-four. Our parents had died several years prior, and I felt as though it was my responsibility to look after my brother and sister. That’s why the bedroom you had was redecorated for Adele. Jean-Luc and Robert were just children when they lost both their grandparents...my mother passed away first, and my father just didn’t know how to live without her...much as I’m not sure how I would live without my Yvette. 

“Charles was away on the same wine master class I had taken and plans were for him to join me and help run the vineyard. We’re still not sure what happened, but he died in a shuttle accident when he was on his way home and Adele...she was devastated, _Princesse._ I was upset too, but Adele...she seemed to take his death harder than she had when Maman and Papa passed. Adele blamed me. She said that it was my fault for sending Charles on the course.

“One morning, she was gone. There was just a note on the kitchen table telling us she was moving to Canada and not to contact her except to keep her updated on the children. So to have her come back is....”

“Wonderful,” Beverly filled in. 

“Thank you, _Princesse_.” 

“What for?” 

“You have...well, you’re the reason my younger sister is coming home. You contacted her about your research and you....you have brought so much joy to my life when you entered it. You’ve always been the daughter we didn’t have, and you’ve given us two beautiful grandbebes.” Maurice kissed the top of Beverly’s head and she squeezed his hand.

“Thank you, Papa.”

The front door opened and Beverly moved to pick up Jacqui so she wouldn’t accidentally get stepped on and Robert and Jean-Luc entered first. Slightly behind them was a small woman with auburn hair. Maurice held his hands out to her and she took them tentatively. 

“Mo?” Maurice grinned.

“Not even Yvette would dare to call me Mo anymore. Hello, Adele. It’s good to see you.” He kissed her cheeks and she smiled at her brother. 

“I’m glad to be here. I can’t believe these are your boys! And...Jean-Luc said he has a son?” 

“He should be out any minute. He’s in the kitchen with Yvette.” Jean-Luc stepped forward and wrapped an arm about Beverly. 

“Tante Adele, I’d like you to meet my wife, Beverly, and our daughter, Jacqueline.” 

“Hello, Beverly,” the two women exchanged kisses and Adele gazed at the baby. “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” 

“Mommy...” Wesley came into the room and halted when he saw the stranger. “Who are you?” 

Adele smirked while Beverly admonished him with a firm “ _Wesley!”_

“Hello, young man. I’m your father’s Tante Adele.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Wesley’s cheek and he squirmed.

“Why does everybody gotta kiss my cheek?” 

“It’s how we say hello.” 

“Oh. Does this mean I have to kiss you too?” Adele looked over at Beverly and Jean-Luc who nodded.

“Only if you want to, Wesley.” Wesley leaned over and gave Adele a kiss on her cheek. 

“Will you play with me?” 

“What are you playing?” 

“Nothin’ right now. But I got toys!” Wesley excitedly tugged the older woman towards the toy box in the corner.

“Hold on, Wesley. I need to introduce someone else to the family. Your father and Oncle already met her.” Maurice’s eyebrows went up and he glanced over at his wife. _Her?_

Jean-Luc grinned and stepped back out onto the porch. “Alice, sweetheart, do you want to come in and meet everyone?” There was a brief silence before Jean-Luc continued to talk. “How about if you stay here and I bring people to meet you? Who would you like to meet first?” Jean-Luc came back into the room. “We’re a little shy. Wesley, why don’t you come out here with me.” 

“Ok, Daddy.” Beverly smiled. Obviously, whoever it was waned to meet the one person who wouldn’t be as intimidating as the adults and she wondered about the identity of this mystery woman. She listened to Wesley’s excited laughter and then Wesley was coming into the room tugging a slightly older girl behind him. “Come on! I’ll show you my toys!”

“Uh, Wesley, who’s your friend?” Wesley grinned at his mother. “This is my friend Alice. I mean, she’s my friend, but she’s not my friend because Daddy said she’s my cousin removed? But she’s right here so she can’t be removed an anyway, she likes to build stuff so we’re gonna make a really big tower with the legos.” Beverly smiled at the young girl.

“Hello, Alice. I’m Wesley’s mother.”

“Are you Oncle Jean’s wife?” 

“Er?”

“Tante Adele told her to call Robert and I her uncles to make it easier.”

“Oh, then I suppose Alice, I’m Tante Beverly. Would you like to meet Wesley’s little sister?” Alice shyly smiled and Beverly knelt down. “This is Jacqueline. She’s two months old.” Alice reached a hand out to touch the baby, then pulled it back. “It’s alright, Alice. She’s sleeping right now, but later we can help you hold her if you’d like.” Alice looked over at Adele, who nodded. 

“Thanks,” Alice whispered. 

“Alice, come meet your Oncle Mo.” Maurice sent a glare towards his little sister, but smiled at the girl. “Hello Alice. Your...”

“Grandmother, but Alice calls me Maman. I’ll explain later.” Maurice raised his eyebrows but accepted his sister’s words. 

“Your Maman is my little sister.” Alice gave Maurice a shy smile and after meeting Yvette and Marie, was pulled over to the toybox by Wesley who was excitedly telling her about his Uncle Wally and Aunt Sora who were arriving in a few days.

“Well, Addie, this is a surprise. Why didn’t you tell me?” Adele looked at her feet.

“I’m sorry, Mo. I was so angry with you... and then, my son died when Alice was only six months....” Adele turned to Jean-Luc and Robert. “And I missed your weddings and the birth of your children....” tears filled Adele’s eyes and Yvette pulled her into her arms.

“Come on, my lovely. Let’s go have a cup of tea in the conservatory.” Adele glanced over at her granddaughter and Beverly grinned. “It’s alright, Tante Adele, I’ll stay in here with them. I need to feed Jacqui and if there’s too many people around, she gets distracted.” Adele chuckled.

“I remember those days. And you and I must talk about your research too, _Non?_ ” 

“If we wait until Sora is here, it might be easier. She’s my research partner.” 

“Alright. I told Alice you might want to examine her too..but we can talk about that later.” Adele touched Alice’s shoulder. “I’m going to be in the conservatory with the other adults, but Tante Beverly will be here with you, alright?” Alice nodded, and Beverly realised that the girl hadn’t spoken to anyone other than Jean-Luc, the few sentences to her, and now Wesley. She must be overwhelmed and Beverly resolved to try to talk to the girl later.

While she settled Jacqui against her breast, she listened with one ear to the conversation going on in the other room as Adele explained the existence of Alice to the other adults. Beverly smiled when Adele said she moved to Canada and had met an artist named Pierre and married him. She became pregnant, but Pierre and her divorced several years later and she raised her son, Charles, on her own. Charles’ girlfriend, a French Canadian girl named Melanie, became pregnant when they were sixteen and Melanie walked out on Charles and the baby, Alice, when Alice was only a few months old. A few tears fell as she listened to the story about Charles losing his life when Alice was only six months old, and of Adele stepping forward to take care of Alice. It was so eerily similar to her own situation when her parents passed away, only Beverly had been old enough to know what was going on. Since Alice had been so young, she referred to Adele as her mother, even though she knew the woman was her grandmother. 

Jean-Luc came back into the room to see how the children were doing and took in Beverly’s tear-stained face.

“You heard everything?” She nodded. 

“It’s so sad, but also...I’m so glad that Adele is back in your life.” He grinned.

“Me too. I remember Auntie Adele sneaking Robert and me madelines when we were little. Think she still will?” He gave Beverly a cheeky grin and she swatted him. 

“Don’t let your son hear you talk about cookies. He’s been doing nothing but eat all of the cookies your mother and I made earlier this week!” He snorted. 

“He’s a growing boy!” Beverly rolled her eyes and passed him Jacqui. 

“Here, make yourself useful. Burp your daughter.” Jean-Luc grinned and took the baby as Beverly rose.

“Where are you going?”

“To get a bloody madeline. And I thought I might make a pot of tea for the adults and get some juice out for the kids.” Jean-Luc kissed her as she walked past and looked at Jacqui.

“Alright there, princess. Let’s get you burped. _Try_ not to spit on me this time, alright?” He heard Beverly chuckle as she left the room.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some time skips. Five chapters to go, and still plenty to do!

Alice turned out to be a quiet child, quite the opposite of Wesley, but Beverly enjoyed having the young girl around and was happy she and Wesley were getting along, despite her being slightly older than him. Adele had explained that she hadn’t wanted to tell her brother about Charles and then Alice because she knew of the struggles Yvette had after Jean-Luc was born when they were trying for a third child and hadn’t wanted to rub in the fact that she had a child. Beverly had understood, and thought she might have done the same thing if Marie and Robert had been unable to have children while she and Jean-Luc continued to add to the family. The sad thing was, Beverly probably could fix Yvette’s fertility problem _now_ , but Yvette said she was happy being a grandparent and aunt and didn’t fancy parenthood again. Maurice had laughed during the conversation while he tickled Jacqui, and told Beverly the best part about being a grandparent was giving the child _back_ to the parents. 

As much as Maurice wanted to get to know his grand-niece, he also wanted to spend time with his sister, so Beverly had invited Alice to come over to play with Wesley often and she enjoyed having the older child around. She grinned to herself. _So this is what it would be like if we have a third child. I think I like it_. Adele had chosen to move to the French sector of Canada, where French was still spoken fluently so Alice spoke French better than she spoke Standard, and she and Wesley communicated in a strange hybrid of Standard and French. It was almost as if the children had established their own language in just a few short days. Beverly enjoyed listening to the children play and it was a nice change from Wesley’s usual playtime. 

“Wes, Alice, come and have lunch,” Beverly called down the hall to the playroom. Two giggling children appeared. 

“Mommy, can we have Racelette for lunch?” Beverly frowned. She wasn’t as familiar with French as she wished she was, especially food related items. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t know what that is. But we can check if the replicator has it.” Wesley frowned.

“Allie said it’s _fromage_.”

“Cheese we have. Do you want a cheese sandwich?” Wesley shook his head and pushed his cousin forward. 

“Allie, tell Mommy.” 

“ _Racelette est du fromage fondu.”_ Beverly knew enough French to know Alice and Wesley were asking for melted cheese. 

“That sounds like a special occasion kind of food.” Wesley emphatically nodded. 

“Uh-huh. Mommy, we wanna have a tea party for lunch.” 

“A tea party? Are Jacqui and I invited?” Wesley exchanged a glance with Alice .

”Yeah, I guess so. But Jacqui is too little to have tea.”

“What else do we need for this tea party? We don’t want to eat too much and spoil your dinner later. Mémé is making a stew.” Beverly grinned as the children started exclaiming all the food they wanted for their tea party.

“Cake!”

“Madelines!”

“Ham san itch!”

“Pain au Chocolat!” 

“ _Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.”_ Wesley did a perfect imitation of his father’s inflection and Beverly couldn’ help her laughter

“Slow down. That is entirely too much food for lunch. How about we have ham and cheese sandwiches, and you may have either a fairy cake each or you can share a pain au chocolate. And you can have apple juice out of tea cups. I’m not giving you caffeine _and_ sugar.” 

“Will the cheese be melty?”

“We can do that.” 

“Yeah! We’ll get the dishes!” Alice and Wesley raced back into the playroom and soon came back out balancing all of Wesley’s play dishes from his kitchen. Beverly grinned as the children set the table and Alice handed Beverly the plastic teapot. 

“Can we have the pretend tea in this?” 

“We sure can.” Beverly carefully poured apple juice into the tea pot and watched Alice carry it over to the coffee table, where they had set up their dishes. Beverly pulled out a crusty baguette Yvette had baked the day before and cut it into slices, topping the slices with some replicated ham and cheese and put them into the warmer to melt the cheese. She added a few slices for Jean-Luc, figuring he would be coming back hungry from his comm call soon. She ordered herself her own cup of tea and asked Alice to pull over Jacqui’s baby bouncer chair. 

Wesley and Alice enjoyed their tea party lunch so much, they were still talking about it at dinner that night.

###

Wesley looked at the suit and sash Yvette had laid out on the bed for him and frowned. “Mémé , do I hafeta?” 

“You do. You are a Comte. And a Comte must sometimes do things he doesn’t like.”

“Oh.” Wesley grumbled as he looked at the suit that no doubt would be itchy. “Does Allie hafeta?” Yvette nodded. 

“Alice is a Comtesse. So is your little sister, but she’s too young to wear a sash. Come now, let’s surprise your parents by getting ready.”

“Allie said we was havin a sleepover tonight.”

“It’s ‘we are’, not ‘was’, Wes. And you’re correct. Your Uncle Wally is going to sleep with you and Alice in the conservatory tonight.” Wesley nodded. “What about Aunt Sowa?”

“Your Aunt Sora is going to sleep in Alice’s bedroom tonight.”

“Oh. And Jacqui?”

“ Tante Marie and Oncle Robert have put your old crib in their room. She’s going to have a sleepover with them.”

“Cos it’s Mommy and Daddy’s ‘versary!” Yvette smiled at her grandson.

“That’s right.” Wesley scrunched up his face.

“Mémé, what’s a ‘versary?” She chuckled.

“An _Anniversary_ is when you celebrate something special that happened years ago. Your parents started dating ten years ago on Christmas Day. So that makes Christmas their anniversary, but they’ve always celebrated it the same day as the ball since we celebrate Christmas as family.” 

“Oh. Can I have a ‘versary?” 

“Someday, Wes. When you meet someone you fall in love with.” 

“I love you, Mémé. Can we have a ‘versary?” She chuckled and ruffled his hair.

“Sure. How about we celebrate on your birthday?” 

“Ok!” Yvette smiled to herself as she helped Wesley put on the suit and sash. He really _was_ a remarkable child.

###

Everyone at the ball wanted to hold Jacqui or ruffle Wesley’s hair or tell Alice she was pretty. Alice became overwhelmed and spent most of her time hiding under the table until Wesley joined her to colour under the table and the two eventually fell asleep. Jean-Luc peeked under the table and grinned.

“Kids are asleep.” Beverly laughed.

“I guess they were both overwhelmed. Wes hasn’t been to one of these balls since he was a baby. Too bad _this one_ isn’t asleep.” She indicated Jacqui in her arms, who seemed to be unphased by the late hour and was entranced with the bright lights. Jean-Luc grinned and leaned over to press a kiss against her lips. 

“I’ll take her for a while. Why didn’t you put her in the pram?”

“She’s awake and I didn’t want her to feel neglected.” Jean-Luc chuckled. 

“I don’t think she’d notice. Why don’t we put her in the pram and have a quick dance?” Beverly nodded and gently tucked her into the pram. Jean-Luc glanced over at his parents. “Maman, can you keep an eye on Jacqui? I want to take Beverly out for a dance.” Yvette readily agreed, and the couple soon found themselves spinning around the dance floor. After a few dances, the adults decided to head home and Jean-Luc picked up Wesley, while Walker gathered Alice into his arms for Adele. The children barely stirred when their party clothes were swapped for pyjamas and they were tucked into sleeping bags. Walker grinned. “Easiest babysitting job ever!” 

Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Guarantee they wake you up at six wanting presents.” 

“I _could_ send Wesley to go wake his parents?” Jean-Luc glared. “Maybe not.” 

Beverly put Jacqui in Wesley’s old crib in the room Marie and Robert were using. “You sure you want to have her all night?” Marie nodded and rubbed her stomach. “I’m surprised Yvette hasn’t noticed yet.”

“Hmm, well, she didn’t notice when I was pregnant with Wesley until I found out. _Nana_ on the other hand called it the minute she saw me.” Marie and Beverly shared a laugh.”My mother knew right away, too.” 

“And you’re going to tell everyone else tomorrow?” 

“We thought it would make a nice Christmas gift.” Beverly grinned. “Only the best!” She leaned down and kissed Jacqui’s sleeping head. “Be good for Tante Marie.” 

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. And you left some milk for her in the kitchen?” Beverly nodded. “I left the bottle warmer, too. Sometimes she sleeps straight through. I should be over to give her a morning feed, but if she’s up earlier than we are, just give her a bottle and a small bit of baby porridge. Wesley knows where Maman keeps it.” Marie nodded and shooed Beverly out of the room.

“Go and celebrate your anniversary with your husband.” Beverly sheepishly grinned.

“It’ll be her first night away from me....but I know she’ll be fine. Goodnight, Marie.” Beverly descended the steps and Jean-Luc reached for her hand and grinned.

“We get a night alone with no kids. What do you want to do?”

“Cuddle the cat and sleep?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Really?”

“I’m kidding. Well, maybe. But let’s go take a bath. It’s not as big as the tub in Tante Adele’s room, but it’ll do.” Jean-Luc gave her a long kiss.

“Happy Anniversary, my love.”

###

Christmas day was a jolly occasion in the Picard house. Wesley and Alice ate entirely too much chocolate and cake, and Jacqui slept through most of her first Christmas. When Marie finally told the rest of the family she was pregnant, the day became even more joyous than before, with Maurice passing around glasses of champagne and sparkling grape juice and commenting on how lucky he was to be gaining another grandchild. Adele and Alice had been welcomed into the family, and Adele even spoke about possibly moving back home to be closer to everyone. Maurice instantly offered up their rooms in the house, but Adele shook her head. “ _Non,_ Mo. I want my own home.”

“On the vineyard property? We could build you a little cottage?” Adele smiled. 

“That would be nice. Just something small for the two of us.” 

“What about Alice’s mother?” A dark look crossed Adele’s face.

“Melanie hasn’t contacted me about Alice since she left Charlie. As far as the Federation is concerned, I am Alice’s mother.” Maurice nodded.

“I’m sorry, Ad.”

###

“Has Alice exhibited any problems yet?” Adele shook her head. “Just a few ear infections when she was a baby, but nothing more than that. Maybe she doesn’t have it?” 

“Maybe. Or since she’s farther down the line and female, she won’t be affected as badly...which would definitely relieve Beverly and Johnny. After they received your letter, they were a bit panicky for their daughter.” Adele nodded.

“I can understand that. I probably should have told Beverly about Alice, but I wanted to surprise my brother.” Sora grinned.

“It was a nice surprise though!” 

“So what do you need from us?” Adele rested her hands on Alice’s shoulders, who up until that point had been reading quietly on a PADD. “I’d like to scan both of you. Not a full _body_ scan, but I’d like to do a level four scan on your brains and inner ears. And then, I need to take a DNA sample, but this can just be a piece of hair or even spit. I don’t need to draw blood.” 

Sora’s scans took about twenty minutes on each of them and as Sora looked over the results she nodded. “You know, I don’t think Alice will develop even a mild strain later. She might be more susceptible to more ear infections, but her patterns match yours, and you’re ‘cured’.” Adele grinned. “So is that good news for Jacqui?”

“I don’t know. _You_ had a mild version when you were a child and might have passed a milder version onto Alice. What about you son, Charles? Did he need to be treated? I’m sorry. I hope it’s okay to bring him up.” Adele patted Sora’s arm.

“It’s fine. I might have only had seventeen years with my son, but it’s more than some people get. “

“That’s a...very good way of looking at things.” Adele smiled.

“Thank you. Now to answer your question...I don’t think Charles had it as badly as my brothers or nephews. I must admit, I was surprised.” Sora nodded and made notes on her PADD.

“That’s interesting. It’s possible that because the disease is passed on through male lineage, females do not pass on as strong of a strain, and that could eventually weaken the disease all together! I’ll have to check the other families we spoke with! This could be a big breakthrough Adele!” Adele could only smile at Sora’s passion and excitement.

“Hey, you’re the doc.” Sora grinned at the older woman.

“I just need to pack up my research and we can go back to the vineyard. I’ll transfer my notes to my lab at Starfleet Medical, and leave a copy here for Beverly to look over when she gets time. This really is Beverly’s project, I just started helping her and then took it over while she’s on leave.” Adele nodded. Beverly had explained that Sora agreed with her not to put the research on hold while she was on leave and was handling it as well as her own projects.

“Well, if you need anything else....”

“I’ll let you know.”

###

Beverly and Jean-Luc were packing for their family trip to the Alps with Wesley “helping”. Of course, Wesley wanted to pack more toys than clothing and he was adding another toy shuttle to his bag when he asked his parents if Alice was coming with them, too.

“No, Sweetie, Alice is going to stay here with Tante Adele. But Adele’s promised they’ll stay longer, so Alice will be here when we get back.” Beverly glanced in Wesley’s band and removed three model shuttles, one Starfleet Joe doll, and four stuffed animals to make room for clothes. Wesley pouted.

“But who will I play with?” 

“I’m sure you’ll find some children to play with. And when we get back, you can tell Alice all about it.” Wesley seemed satisfied with the answer and continued to throw toys into his suitcase, which Beverly was removing just as quickly.

“Is BabyCat coming with us?” Jean-Luc nodded as he came back into the room with a handful of clothing for Jacqui. He passed the bundle to Beverly to check and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Mommy doesn’t travel without her.”

“Oh. How old is BabyCat?”

“Around ten, I think. Why?” 

“Cos Allie and I were readin a book an it said that cats n dogs are a lot older than people. So is BabyCat older than you?” Jean-Luc chuckled. 

“Yes and no, but why don’t you ask Mommy. She’s the doctor.” Wesley nodded vigorously.

“Mommy, Daddy said to ask you how old BabyCat is cos Allie and I read a book that said cats n dogs are older than people?” 

“Well, there used to be research suggesting that for every year of a human’s life, a cat or dog aged by seven years. BabyCat is ten human years old, so that means by the old standards she would be seventy.” Wesley’s eyes went wide.

“Wow, that’s a big number!”

“You’re right, it is. But I suspect you and Allie were reading an old book.” 

“We found it in the attic in Mémé’s house.” 

“Well, not so long ago, they were able to make it so cats and dogs no longer aged by seven years each human year.”

“How?” Beverly ruffled Wesley’s hair.

“I think that might be a little complicated to explain right now, but it involved a lab and a lot of hours of work. But now, BabyCat will age the same way us human’s age, so she really is ten.” Wesley was satisfied with his answer and walked away to continue to try to squeeze as many toys as possible into his suitcase without his mother noticing.

###

Wesley was ecstatic. He had seen snow in La Barre, but not this much. He darted out of the shuttle and ran giggling into the snow, only coming back when Beverly called him over to put on some mittens and a hat. He wanted to play in the snow right away, so Jean-Luc and Beverly split with her following the porter carrying their bags with Jacqui and Baby into their apartment. Jean-Luc had managed to book in the same place they had when they went for their honeymoon, but this time there was a second bedroom for Wesley and Jacqui to share. 

Beverly undressed the slumbering Jacqui from her layers and wondered if perhaps they shouldn’t have gone away with the children so small, or if they should have taken up Yvette’s offer of looking after the children so the two of them could get away alone. She hoped the four of them would get to spend time together as a family, and she hoped she and Jean-Luc could find time to have a bath looking at the stars through the ceiling. She absently let Baby out of her carrier, and Baby settled in front of the fireplace. _Now what do I do_?

Jean-Luc was showing Wesley how to make snow angels and Wesley was soon throwing handfuls of snow at his father and laughing until Jean-Luc mock tackled him and he fell into the snow. Wesley giggled. “I has snow in my mouf!”

“Shouldn’t have had your mouth open then,” Jean-Luc teased back. 

“Daddy, can we make a snowman?” 

“Sure,” Jean-Luc said, scooping some snow into a ball. “Do you need help?” 

“Yeah.” Jean-Luc passed the ball of snow to Wesley and they soon had a small boulder of snow. Jean-Luc had to place the head on the snowman since it was taller than Wesley and Wesley eyed it critically. “The one in my book had a face an a hat.” 

“Your mother might get upset with me if you take off your hat, but hold on and let me see what I can find.” Jean-Luc found the edge of the road and scooped up a few rocks. “We can make the face with these rocks. You hold them, and I’ll lift you up.” Wesley complained that the snowman was naked until Jean-Luc agreed to use his own scarf and hat, but only if they went inside right away. He figured he could replicate new ones or even come back out after Wesley was in bed to retrieve the current ones.

They stomped into the apartment and Beverly took one look at them and laughed. “Good time?” Jean-Luc rubbed his cold face against Beverly’s. 

“Mm-hmm.”

“Yikes, you’re cold!” Wesley giggled.

“I wanna do it too!” Beverly nodded and Jean-Luc lifted Wesley so he could rub his cold face on Beverly. She over exaggerated her response and Wesley giggled some more. 

“Right then young man. The fastest way to warm up is to take your bath.” 

“Before dinner?” 

“Yep. And the bath here is really big, you could probably swim in it.” Wesley nodded and turned his eyes to his father.

“Daddy, will you take a bath with me?” Jean-Luc glanced over at Beverly.

“Well, I was hoping to take a bath with _Mommy_ later....” Beverly grinned.

“I packed swimsuits for everyone. The bath really is big enough to be a wading pool. Why don’t we all get in?” She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jean-Luc’s cheek. “And _we’ll_ use it later,” she whispered before she gently bit down on his ear.

Wesley squealed with delight when Jean-Luc deactivated the ceiling and they were looking up at the sky while they swam/bathed. The bath was, of course, actually a whirlpool tub, but they wisely didn’t turn on the jets with Wesley and Jacqui. Wesley had eyed Jacqui critically when Beverly put her in a little floating tube naked. “Mommy, what if Jacqui pees?”

“Well, then I guess we’ll bathe in pee.” 

“Ewwww.” Beverly laughed.

“If she pees, she pees. There’s enough water in here that you won’t even notice. I promise.” 

“Ok. But what if she has to poop?” Beverly rolled her eyes. 

“Hopefully, she won’t.”

“Yeah, but she pooped in the tub last week when Uncle Wally was giving her a bath.” Beverly raised her eyebrows. 

“Your uncle didn’t tell me that.” Wesley clapped his hand over his mouth.

“Oops! I wasn’t s’posed ta tell you.” 

“It’ll be our secret.”

###

Adele and Alice returned to their home a month later to pack up their belongings. Wesley had wanted to go, too, but Beverly and Jean-Luc wanted to give Adele and Alice some time alone to say goodbye to their home and friends. They wouldn’t be gone long. Maurice was determined to have the little cottage Adele requested ready for her in the spring. It would share the courtyard area with the main house, Jean-Luc and Beverly’s converted barn, and Robert and Marie’s house. Adele had requested a few modern amenities Maurice was leaving to Jean-Luc to sort out. Maurice still didn’t want a replicator in his house, but he had learned to respect the wishes of others.

Jean-Luc checked on the progress of the Stargazer upgrade and discovered it wouldn’t even be ready for a test flight until June. After speaking with Admiral Quinn, he agreed to return to duties as originally planned, but he would be able to base himself at home and tend to most business from his home office, giving him more time at home with Beverly and the children. 

Beverly was anxious to return to her research, but she also was enjoying her time with her children. Of course, it would soon be time to look at kindergarten options for Wesley, so Beverly had been hoping to know where the family would be. If the ship wasn’t ready, Wesley would need to be enrolled in a school somewhere as Federation law stated all children must begin attending school at age five. She _could_ home school him, but she wasn’t sure that would be fair on him. Adele was enrolling Alice in the local school that Jean-Luc, Robert, Maurice, and Adele had all attended and Beverly was wondering about enrolling Wesley there at least temporarily. She also worried if he and Jacqui would be missing out of key aspects of childhood by growing up on a ship. She posed the question to Jean-Luc just after they had put Wesley to sleep one evening.

“Jean-Luc, do you think the children will be alright growing up on ships and not Earth?” Jean-Luc shrugged.

“Other than playing outside, perhaps. There are other children on the _Stargazer_. Why? Are you having second thoughts about going back?” Beverly shook her head. 

“No. I mean, not really. I just want to do what’s best for all of us – you, me, Wesley, and Jacqui.” 

“I do, too. If you want to remain here, I can work something out with Quinn. Maybe go on short missions and be based on Earth or something like that.” Beverly shook her head again.

“No. You belong in the stars. You know that. I’m sure they’ll be fine, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it if they have any problems.” She leaned over and kissed her husband. “Goodnight, Jean-Luc. I love you.”

###

Walker and Sora’s wedding was beautiful. They were married at Sora’s home – an island in the Caribbean – on the beach as the sun was setting. It had been a little awkward having Jean-Luc perform the marriage and Beverly be the matron of honour while juggling the two children, but they managed. Sora’s sister offered to hold Jacqui during the ceremony, but Beverly wound up taking the fussy six-month-old and holding her for most of the ceremony, until she decided she wanted her daddy to hold her while he was performing the marriage. This had made everyone laugh, and Beverly had profusely apologized to her friends after. 

“It’s fine, Bev. Actually, it was kind of nice to have Jacqui up there with us. If she had been older, she would have been our flower girl anyway. She’s part of our extended family.” Sora kissed Jacqui’s cheek. “But Jacqui, darling, don’t spit up on anyone until after the pictures, alright?” Jacqui responded by giggling and trying to tug on Sora’s necklace.

“Aunt Soorrrrrrwwwwwaaaaaaa, can I take this off?” Wesley tugged on the tie he was wearing. He was a bit relieved he hadn’t needed to wear the silly sash his father had to wear with his dress uniform this time, since Beverly had decided since it wasn’t an event happening in France, Wesley didn’t need to wear it . Sora grinned at her honorary nephew. 

“After the pictures, bud. Can you keep it on for just a few more minutes for me?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Good.”

Jean-Luc and Walker came over in their dress uniforms, with Jean-Luc tugging on his collar. Beverly smirked. “Told you to get a bigger one.” Jean-Luc mock glared and took Jacqui from Beverly’s arms. “Thanks. Sora’s sister said there’s a little crèche set up for the small children in the reception hall if we want to leave Jacqui there. The girls running it are all trained in early childhood development and first aid.” Jean-Luc chuckled. Beverly was so much more relaxed with Jacqui than she was with Wesley. 

“If you’re ok with that. Means I can at least have one dance with my lovely wife. And you do look lovely, sweetheart.” 

“Thank Sora. She picked out the dress.” 

The crèche turned out to be for children under the age of six, so Wesley happily joined the other children after the pictures were taken. “Wow, it’s almost like a date,” Jean-Luc’s eyes twinkled as he spun Beverly around the dance floor. “Think we can leave them here and sneak off?” Beverly smacked Jean-Luc’s chest.

“Funny.” 

“I thought so.” They joined the newlyweds and had a few dances together and with the new married couple before Beverly decided they, unfortunately, needed to leave the reception to put Jacqui to bed. They agreed to meet Walker and Sora for breakfast in the morning before they left on a honeymoon. Beverly, Jean-Luc, and the children would be staying on the island for a few more days to have a small beach holiday, which Beverly would soon regret after cleaning sand out of Jacqui’s diaper for the fourth time in one morning.

###

Wesley’s birthday came that summer, and with it, his enrolment in the village school. He was so excited to attend school finally and when he had his aptitude tests, his lowest score had been in French, and even there it was still fairly high. His highest score was in Science, which came as no surprise to his parents. The Kindergarten teacher suggested bumping Wesley up to Year One, but Beverly and Jean-Luc were hesitant. They knew their son was bright, but they didn’t want him to lose being a child and getting to play. They reluctantly agreed to let Wesley attend the Year One orientation and the first thing that struck Beverly was how little he was compared to the big six-year-olds. Of course, some of the six-year-olds were closer to being seven and would turn seven during the school year, too. But Wesley loved his week of Year One, and begged his parents to let him attend, especially since he would share some classes with Alice. They finally agreed to it, provided that if it became too much for the boy they would remove him and put him back in Kindergarten. 

Jean-Luc was surprised when he _finally_ received the call from Walker that the _Stargazer_ was ready to go on a test flight. They had had so many complications and setbacks, Jean-Luc was honestly waiting for the day when Admiral Quinn would call to tell him his ship was being sent for scrap. But things were looking up, and Jean-Luc put together a skeleton crew for the test flight. The simple trip around Saturn and back would only require minimal staff in the rest of the ship, so he asked for volunteers from his crew stationed on Earth and the surrounding stations. He easily filled in a bridge crew and a back-up crew as well as three engineers (including his Chief and assistant). Beverly and Sora both offered to come along as the trip would require someone medically trained, but Jean-Luc turned them down and said they only needed a medic for this short hop. Besides, he wasn’t sure he wanted his children along for the test flight just in case anything went wrong, and he knew Beverly wouldn’t want to leave them at home with his parents.

###

“Alright, Walker. This is _your_ test flight, not mine. You’re in charge here.”

“Eh, you’re the Captain. I wasn’t going to take her out without you.” Jean-Luc grinned at his first officer.

“Thank you, Number One, but I’ll stay out of your way.” Walker raised his eyebrows.

“Number One? Copying off Captain Benilev?” Jean-Luc shrugged.

“It seemed to fit.”

Walker nudged Jean-Luc’s shoulder. “You know, every captain has a catchphrase or two. You better start working on yours.” 

“I’ll get right on it,” Jean-Luc paused and sat in the center seat and got a tiny thrill out of officially being the Captain. “Begin docking clamp removal sequence.” 

“Aye, Captain.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at his best friend. “Set course for Saturn. Wal, what warp speed do you want us to test this at?”

“Uh...let’s start at just warp one for now.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“Set course for Saturn. Warp one,” he snuck a peek over at Walker and winked. “Engage.”

Walker was busy monitoring all ship’s functions from the station behind Jean-Luc and all of a sudden, Walker let out “ _Shit!”_ and went running from the bridge with no explanation. Jean-Luc turned to his second officer.

“You have the bridge. Maintain course unless Commander Keel or myself alter it.”

“Yes, Sir.” Jean-Luc jogged after his friend. 

“Wally, what’s wrong?”

“We have a problem....the warp core is about to go and the repaired nacelle has just gone critical.” Jean-Luc frowned. How had the newly repaired nacelle malfunction again?

“Can you fix it?”

“I don’t know. We’re going to try to eject the core. That’ll buy us some time, but it will seriously limit our speed.” Jean-Luc nodded at his friend.

“Make it so. I’ll be on the bridge. Keep me informed.”

Jean-Luc made it back to the bride just as Walker contacted him. “ _Keel to Captain Picard.”_

“Yes, Number One?”

 _“Sir, we are unable to eject the core.”_ Jean-Luc’s face fell. He asked Walker his next question, even though he already was fairly certain of the answer.

“Suggestions?”

_“Evacuation. If we lower the blast shield around the core, we might be able to later tow the ship back to the dockyards for repair. But we should all get off the ship just in case she blows.”_

“And the nacelle?” He could hear Walker’s weariness as he responded.

_“Don’t ask. Just evacuate.”_

“You got it. And that goes for _you_ too.” He could hear Walker rolling his eyes.

“ _Yes, Captain. I’ll meet you in your shuttle in two minutes. Keel out.”_

Jean-Luc sighed and looked around the bridge at his skeleton crew. “Well, that was fun,” he said sarcastically before taking a deep breath and activating the ship-wide communications network. “Attention all hands: This is your captain speaking. All hands, abandon ship. I repeat, all hands abandon ship.” He pressed a button on his chair and entered his emergency code that would send the ship into emergency mode and repeat “abandon ship” and sound alarms. This was usually used as a way to wake up any sleeping crew member, but Jean-Luc felt as though he needed to follow all procedures fully.

His bridge crew stood and rose to exit the bridge towards the shuttles and escape pods and his new second officer glanced back at Jean-Luc, who nodded. They left him on the bridge and for a brief moment, Jean-Luc closed his eyes before entering the information into the log. _Shortest command ever._ He sighed. “Computer: How many people are still on board.”

_“There are two people on board.”_

“Other than myself, who is on board?”

 _“Commander Walker Keel._ ” Jean-Luc grinned and pressed his badge.

“Picard to Keel.”

_“Keel here.”_

“Get your arse to the shuttle. NOW!” 

_“I’m on my way.”_

_###_

Beverly woke up to the sound of the comms ringing in the office downstairs. They had set up a repeater that would ring in the bedroom, but they had decided against adding a comms unit to the room. Beverly regretted that as she woke up, grumbling. She groggily tugged her bathrobe around her and hurried downstairs before the noise woke either of the children. She pressed the answer button. “Picard here.”

_“Doctor Picard. I’m sorry to be calling you at this hour. But there’s been an accident.”_

The colour drained from Beverly’s face. All she could think was _not again._


	36. Chapter 36

**2334**

“Tell me what happened.” Beverly stared at the image of Admiral Quinn on her small screen and blushed when she realised she was addressing a superior while wearing her nightgown. She smoothed down her hair and pulled her dressing gown a little tighter around her. “I’m sorry, Admiral, Forgive me. Sir, please tell me what happened?” Quinn offered her a small smile.

_“It’s alright, Beverly. I understand. We don’t know yet. Jean-Luc issued an order to abandon the ship and the log transmitted states there was a warp core breach and an issue with a nacelle. Then the transmission ended.”_

“But...Surely Jean-Luc would have evacuated with everyone else?”

 _“We can but hope.”_ Beverly wiped at her tears and sat up a bit straighter. “Have you contacted Sora? I mean, Doctor Keel?” 

_“Not yet. I wanted to call you first. I assume you want to come here?”_

“Where is here?”

 _“Command.”_ She nodded.

“We still own the flat with the Keels. I’ll get us packed and on our way. I need to...I need to talk to Maman. Marie is due in three weeks, I don’t want to alarm her.” Quinn nodded, but caught the panicked look in Beverly’s eyes. 

_“Beverly, try to stay calm. I’m sure Jean-Luc is fine. You know your husband. If he needed to order the abandonment order, I have every faith he evacuated too and we will be contacted as soon as they get clear of the debris. He’s a risk taker, but not when it comes to his life. You_ know _that. Please, try to stay calm. I’ll keep you informed.”_

“Debris? So the _Stargazer_....is gone?” 

_“We think so. There might be pieces we can haul back for examination, but I don’t think we’ll be repairing this one again.”_ Beverly frowned and wondered what that would do to Jean-Luc’s captaincy and she was about to ask when Quinn held up his hand to stop her.

_“I don’t know, Beverly. We need to speak with Jean-Luc before we start making any decisions.”_

“I understand. I’ll be there soon. Thank you, Greg.”

 _“I’ll tell Doctor Keel to call you after I speak with her. Quinn out.”_ Beverly stared at the black screen and then rested her head on her arms on the desk and wept. They knew there were risks, but why did Jean-Luc seem to _always_ be the one in trouble?

###

“Walker, did everyone get out?” Jean-Luc kept his eyes on the controls of their small shuttle while he spoke to his first officer.

“I think so, Johnny. We should be able to contact the other shuttles.”

“Do it. By now, the report has gone though to Quinn, and I’d like to be able to tell him we didn’t lose anyone when we speak with him....and if Quinn knows the ship was destroyed...” He glanced at Walker, who paled.

“I bet he called our wives.” Jean-Luc couldn’t help but grin at his newly married best friend.

“Yep.”

“Shit.” Jean-Luc wryly grinned.

“I should reprimand you for that, but.... _Merde._ ” He tuned out Walker contacting the other shuttles and concentrated on setting a course back to the yards. Once that was done and he spoke with Quinn, he would privately contact Beverly. As much as he wanted to contact her first and do his job later...he knew following procedure was important. Especially with the loss of the ship. He didn’t want there to be any questioning about his ability to Captain a ship in the future, even if he was desperate to tell his wife he was fine. Walker interrupted his thoughts.

“No hands were lost.” Jean-Luc grinned. “Well, that’s a relief. What do you think, shortest command in history?” Walker grinned.

“Quite possibly.” Walker fiddled with the panel in front of him. “Alright, I think I have secured a connection with command.”

“Brilliant. Connect me to Quinn.”

###

 _“Jean-Luc va bien?”_ Yvette always switched into French when she was upset. Beverly smiled sadly at her mother-in-law.

“ _Je ne sais pas. Quinn m'a dit de venir à_ Command,” Beverly said, forgetting how to say Command in French.

“ _Tu dois y aller. Laissez les enfants ici.”_ Beverly shook her head.

“ _Non, Maman_. I need...I need my babies with me. Besides, Marie is going to need you. You’ll have to alert Doctor Keats if I’m...if _we’re_ not back in time.” Yvette nodded and embraced her daughter-in-law.

“ _J'ai la Foi._ ”

“Me too, Maman. Me too.”

###

Jean-Luc stared at the spinning Starfleet logo that simply displayed the word ‘connecting’ under it. “I can’t connect to the house.”

“Did you try her personal communicator?” 

“Good idea.” He dialled in to her personal communicator that she usually had on her, especially when they were apart and he frowned as it, too, refused to connect. “Wally, have you been able to reach Sora?” 

“Yeah, with no problem. She’s at our flat. Why?”

“I can’t reach Bev.” He sat back, defeated. Walker patted his arm. “She’s probably on her way to the flat. I’ll call Sora back and tell her to contact us as soon as Beverly arrives.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“I need her to know I’m ok.” 

###

Beverly collapsed into Sora’s arms and Sora could tell Beverly had been trying to conceal her tears from her children. She had Jacqui slung across her in a babysling, Wesley’s hand clutched in hers, a large rucksack on her back, and a cat carrier in her other hand. Wesley had a bag on his back too, and he was holding his teddy. Sora patted Wesley’s shoulder. “Wesley, would you like to go play in your bedroom while Mommy and I talk?”

“I have a bedroom here, Aunt Sorwa?” 

“You do. It’s the room with the rocket on the door.”

“Ok.” Wesley headed for the bedroom and exclaimed “Wow, toys!” before shutting the door behind him. Sora took the basket containing Baby and let the cat out. 

“Go on. It’s still the same bedroom as before.” Baby padded off to the master bedroom and hopped on the bed. Sora then gently took Jacqui from the slingb and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Hello, my precious. Let’s get you settled, shall we? I know you must be tired from your travels, and guess what? Auntie Sora has a bedroom allll set up for you.” Beverly cracked a smile and lowered her backpack once Sora had taken Jacqui into the other room and she slumped on the sofa. She had been strong for the children and had told Wesley only a few details – not enough to panic him, but enough for him to understand why they were going to San Francisco in the middle of the night. She hoped Wesley would play for a bit and fall asleep on his own – she hadn’t bothered getting him dressed and he travelled in his pyjamas. 

A cup of tea was pressed into her hand and Sora hugged her friend. “He’s fine.”

“What?” Beverly looked at her friend with wide eyes. “How do you know?”

“Wally called me. Johnny tried to call you, but he couldn’t get through.” 

“No, I was travelling and turned off my comm.” Beverly grinned at her friend as she fished her communicator out of an outer pocket on her bag and activated it. “He’s ok? Really? And Wally too?” Sora nodded.

“They’re in a shuttle together. They’re on their way back to the shipyard but Jean-Luc wants you to call him now that you’re here. Do you want some privacy?” Beverly shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. By the way....how did you have time to set up bedrooms for the children?” 

“Well, actually....we’ll need the crib....” Sora shifted and placed her best friend’s hand on her stomach.

“No!” 

“Yeah. I’m not very far along. Only about six weeks. I was going to tell you the next time I saw you.” 

“I’m so excited for you!” She embraced her friend. 

“Me too. I can’t wait for our kids to grow up together.” Sora frowned. “Well, I guess if we all get assigned together again.”

“Don’t worry. Even if we’re not, we’ll still always see each other. Now, what’s this about you telling my cat to go to my bedroom?” 

“Wally and I never moved into the master bedroom. It’s your room.” Beverly shook her head at her friend.

“You’re nuts, but I love you. Now, how do we call our husbands?”

It was dinnertime in San Francisco, and Wesley had complained about being hungry, so it was a joyous family that had a small snack that evening. Jean-Luc and Walker were on their way home, and Admiral Quinn had even personally promised to Wesley that if he went back to sleep, his daddy would be with him when he woke up in the morning. 

Beverly frowned when she saw the peas smashed into Jacqui’s hair. “I think a certain little lady is going to need a bath now....so do you, Wes.” 

“Aw, man.”

“Sorry, Wes. You skipped your bath at home, remember? But I need to give your sister a bath first. Would you like to help me?” 

“Can I read to her?” Beverly smiled. Wesley had wanted to learn how to read because Alice could and he finally started reading on his own a few months ago, but took every opportunity to read to other people. “Sure, baby. But then, you need to go to bed, too.”

“Fiiine. Do I Hafeta go to bed? I’m not tired.” Beverly smiled. The time change was hard on her, she didn’t wonder what it was like for Wesley. 

“Do you remember how we talked on the way here that when we got here it would be nine hours earlier than it was at home?” 

“Yeah. Cos of time zones! An’ the Inner-national dateline!” Beverly smiled.

“We didn’t _quite_ travel that far. But we did go back nine hours.” Wesley’s eyes widened.

“Woah. Like...time travel?” 

“Not exactly. It’s still the middle of the night at home, around four in the morning.”

“Wow!” 

“So where are you at four in the morning, usually?” Wesley grumbled.

“In bed.” 

“Right. And what are you usually doing at seven in the evening?” Wesley frowned.

“Takin’ a bath and goin’ to bed. But Mommy, I already went to bed today!” Beverly chuckled. 

“How about you go to bed for me and you may read your book in bed? But if you don’t sleep some more, you’ll be tired in the morning when Daddy gets here. If you _really_ can’t sleep, you can come into my bedroom, but I plan on getting more sleep. Your sister won’t understand the time difference and she’ll want her breakfast in a few hours.” 

“Okay,” Wesley sighed. “Fine.”

Wesley was fast asleep within ten minutes after his shared bath with Jacqui.

###

Beverly had gone to bed not too long after Wesley had, exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions, the early morning comm call, and spending the night travelling with two small cranky children. When Jean-Luc paused in their doorway, he had a strange sense of déjà vu as he shed his clothing and crawled into the bed next to her. This time, he knew it was his Beverly and he pulled her tight against her and kissed her neck. 

“I love you, Beverly.” Beverly let out a throaty, un-Beverly laugh.

“Hmm. Are you _sure_ I’m Beverly. I might be Sora.” Jean-Luc grinned. “No. This time I checked. Well, Walker told me they left our room for us. Plus Baby was in here with you.” Beverly rolled over and kissed him long and deep.

“Why is it _always_ you?” Jean-Luc smirked against her lips.

“Luck?”

“Hmm. _Bad_ luck.” Beverly ran her hands across his chest. “No injuries?”

“None.” He pecked her lips and picked at her nightgown. “You’re wearing too much clothing, Mrs Picard.”

“Well, then, _take it off_ , Mister Picard.”

###

Either Jacqui had slept straight through the remainder of the night, or Sora had made sure she checked on the baby for Beverly, because Beverly didn’t stir again until her son came into the room. “Daddy! You’re here!” 

Beverly groaned when Wesley jumped onto the bed and clamoured over her to get to Jean-Luc. “Hey there, Squirt.” He ruffled Wesley’s hair and Wesley laughed. “I wasn’t gone _that_ long...” 

“knock, knock?” Sora appeared in the doorway with Jacqui in her arms. “A certain small princess would like to see her daddy....and probably have breakfast.” Sora winked at Beverly and handed her the baby. “Johnny? Wally wanted me to tell you that Admiral Quinn scheduled a meeting with you guys at ten.” Jean-Luc groaned.

“What time is it now?”

“Six. Man, kids get up early.” Beverly smirked at her friend.

“Get used to it.” Jean-Luc glanced between Beverly and Sora.

“What? Wait... Sora, are you?” Sora nodded. “Walker didn’t tell me! Congratulations!” 

“Thanks. So, yeah. This one is due in April. Captain, I guess I’ll need to take my maternity leave.....” Jean-Luc frowned.

“If I still have a ship to captain.” 

Sora shot Jean-Luc a sympathetic smile. “I think I’ll make French toast this morning, want some?” She grinned and Beverly held up her hand.

“Don’t get him started. You’ll get a half hour lecture on how it’s not actually French. But yes. please. And could you make one for Jacqui first so it can cool on the side for her?”

“Sure.”

“I want Fwench Toast too!” Sora grinned at Wesley. 

“Only with the magic word, Wes.”

“Pwease?”

Beverly was still cleaning syrup out of Jacqui’s hair when Jean-Luc had to leave for his meeting. She chuckled to him. “Which is worse? Facing your boss or trying to get syrup out of our daughter’s hair?” 

“Hmm. You want to go to my meeting for me instead?” He leaned over and kissed Beverly and then pressed a kiss to Jacqui’s forehead. “Hmm. Sticky and sweet.” 

“Good luck. We might still be cleaning the syrup up when you get back. But, at least she liked it.” 

Jean-Luc grinned and stopped by Wesley’s room on his way out. “Wes, I’ve got to go. When we get back we’ll go to the park.”

“Kay. When can we go home?”

“I’m not sure. Hopefully soon since your Aunt Marie is going to have a baby soon.” Wesley nodded.

“Uh-huh. Allie said the baby grew in her belly.” 

“Yep. Just like Jacqui did in Mommy, and you did, too.” 

“Yeah. I miss Allie.” Jean-Luc ruffled his son’s hair 

“I know. We’ll get home soon.”

###

“Captain Picard, Commander Keel, have a seat. Tea?” Jean-Luc tried to smile at his old friend as he stood in front of the desk. Was this going to end his career before it even began? He supposed there was always work at the vineyard for him, or he could travel as Beverly’s spouse if she received a posting. Walker exchanged a glance with his best friend, clearly worried. Jean-Luc cleared his throat.

“Admiral.”

“First, how are your wives?” Jean-Luc grinned and nudged Walker.

“Doctor Keel is expecting their first child in the spring.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Congratulations, Commander.” 

“Thank you.”

“And, Beverly and the children?” Jean-Luc hedged. Should he be honest? 

“A little frazzled, I think. Travelling with two children and a cat in an emergency took a lot out of her, not to mention the time zone difference for the children. But she’s still glad... _I’m glad_ she came.” 

“I can imagine. I would say I was sorry I asked Beverly to come here, but I was assuming it would be the best way to get you to her quickly and I know how much she would have worried if she was home in La Barre.”

“Yes. Thank you, Sir.” Quinn rubbed his hands together. “Please, gentleman, sit down. I didn’t mean to keep you standing.” Jean-Luc gingerly sat on the seat and accepted the cup of tea the Admiral’s assistant handed him before she flitted back out of the office.

“Now, I’m afraid I need to be your Admiral and not your old Captain, Captain.” Jean-Luc nodded and exchanged a quick look with Walker. _Here we go. This could end my career._ Quinn took a sip of his tea before continuing. “Commander Keel, can you tell me what happened?” 

“I’d _like_ to, Sir. But I don’t think we’ll know until we get whatever is left of the ship back to the yards to examine and take apart. I can tell you that we had a warp core breach at the same time we had an excess build up of energy in the repaired nacelle. Either of these issues could have been handled individually, or possibly even if we had a full Engineering team, but....”

“You were on a shakedown cruise to test the repairs with the minimal compliment of Engineers.” Walker nodded.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Commander, how much of the refit did you oversee?” Quinn steepled his fingers and glanced at Walker. Jean-Luc shot an uneasy glance at his old captain. _What is he up to?_

“Most of it, Sir. I took shore leave when Doctor Picard had her baby for a few days, and then again at Christmas and for my own wedding, but other than that I have been here. I have every faith in Lieutenant Commander Sachen.”

“He is the Chief Engineer of the _Stargazer_?” Jean-Luc spoke up.

“Yes, Sir. When I asked Commander Keel to be my First Officer, I promoted his former assistant to the chief post with Walker’s approval.”

“I see. Captain, do you think he deserved the post?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“Yes. His record was exemplary before he came to the _Stargazer_.”

“And he didn’t have any problems serving under someone younger than him?” Jean-Luc shrugged.

“Not to my knowledge, but he would have been serving under Commander Keel before his promotion as well.”

Quinnn odded and took a deep breath. “Commander Keel, I am placing you in charge of the investigation. We need to determine if this was an accident or sabotage-“ Jean-Luc gasped. Quinn continued, “And I think assigning someone who has a vested interest in the outcome to the investigation is prudent. You will have a liaison with Starfleet Intelligence assigned to you. I’m no engineer, but it seems fairly suspicious that two fairly major parts of the ship malfunction at the same time.”

“Do we have reason to expect sabotage?” Quinn raised his eyebrows at Walker.

“Commander Keel, we _always_ have reason to expect sabotage. You don’t think there are operatives within Starfleet working for our enemies?” Walker blanched.

“I guess I never thought about it, Sir.” 

“No, neither had I until I became an Admiral.” Quinn turned his eyes on Jean-Luc. “I’m sorry, Captain. You’re going to need to be grounded until the investigation is over. _All_ of your crew will be grounded.”

“Even those who weren’t working on the upgrades?” Quinn nodded.

“Just as a precaution. _If_ we’re looking at sabotage, it could be any member of your crew. Someone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who owes a favour to one of our enemies....I’m sure you understand. I’m sorry, Jean-Luc, but I can’t play favourites. This means Beverly will be grounded as well.”

“Of course, Sir.” 

“I suspect you’ll be reachable at your home in La Barre?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“At least until October. Then, I’ll follow Beverly wherever she is assigned if that’s alright with you.”

“Perfectly. Jean-Luc, i don’t want to lie. This might take a while and I don’t want you to be discouraged. The other admirals....well, they weren’t too pleased with giving out a Captaincy to someone so young.” Jean-Luc nodded. 

“I understand, Sir.” 

Quinn grinned. “Now that the unpleasantness is over, Jean-Luc, when can I see those gorgeous children of yours and your lovely wife?” 

###

Beverly was feeding ten-month-old Jacqui in the conservatory during a rainy day a few weeks later when Marie came in with her hand pressed against her back. Marie lowered herself into a chair and glanced at Beverly. 

“I’m so miserable.” Beverly frowned.

“I’m sorry.” Marie gave her friend a cheeky grin.

“Can’t you do something?” Beverly took her eyes off of Jacqui for a minute to glance at her sister-in-law.

“I can give you a hypospray that should help induce labour, but then you’ll have to be bed bound until the birth.” Marie made a face. “I know, but if you don’t go into labour within the next seventy-two hours, we’ll have to admit you to hospital anyway. You’re already two weeks overdue.”

“I really don’t want that. Please, give me the hypospray. I’ll...deal with it.” Beverly smiled.

“Just as soon as this one is done eating her lunch, I’ll help you get settled in bed and I’ll ask Jean-Luc to inform Robert.”

“Thanks.”

###

Marie went into labour a few hours after being induced, and little Rene Jean-Pierre Picard made his way into the world. Robert gazed down at his tiny son and brought him out into the hallway to meet the family. Jean-Luc was holding Jacqui in his arms, and he leaned the ten-month-old over to look at the newborn. Wesley tugged on his uncle’s arm. “Oncle Robert, when can I play with Rene?”

Robert smiled. “When he’s a little older.” 

“Oh.” Jean-Luc ruffled Wesley’s hair.

“You remember when Jacqui was born? She slept a lot for the first few months? Rene is going to need to sleep a lot too. Besides, you have school and Alice to play with and Jacqui too.”

“Yeah, but Alice and Jacqui are _girls_.” Wesley pouted when Jean-Luc chuckled.

“Your mother is a girl, too. You don’t mind spending time with her.”

“Yeah, but she’s Mommy.” Jean-Luc shook his head and grinned at his brother.

“The logic of a five-year-old.” Beverly stuck her head out of the room and smiled at the group.

“Robert, Marie is ready for you to bring Rene back in.” 

###

Beverly’s maternity leave was drawing to a close and she sighed as she took a seat behind Jean-Luc’s desk to call Admiral Quinn to discuss her options.

 _“Doctor Picard, we find ourselves in a predicament. We have grounded all of the crew from the_ Stargazer _during this investigation, but of course, you were not serving on the ship when it first arrived at the docks. However, since you are_ listed _on the crew manifest as simply being on leave, I must ground you along with the rest of the crew.”_

“I understand.” Beverly wondered where she would work. Possibly at Starfleet Medical with Sora and they would have to squeeze both families into the flat. Or she and Jean-Luc would need to find a new house.

 _“Do you have any preferences?”_ Beverly shook her head.

“I suppose if I’m at Starfleet Medical, Doctor Keel and I can continue our research for a cure for Shalaft’s syndrome until she goes on Maternity leave.”

Quinn leaned back and nodded. “ _I think we can arrange for that. I assume Captain Picard will join you?”_ Beverly nodded. 

“Unless you have something _else_ for him to do.”

 _“I wish I did, Beverly.”_ Beverly frowned. Quinn gave her a sympathetic look. _“I know. I’m sorry.”_

“Can I talk to you as a friend of Jean-Luc’s and not his commanding officer?” 

_“Of course, Beverly.”_

“Don’t let them forget about him? I think he’s been putting on a brave show for Wesley that it’s okay he doesn’t have a ship right now, but deep down, I know he’s upset.”

 _“I assure you, I will make sure Jean-Luc captains a ship again. But in the meantime....he just needs to lay low. I’m sure he told you his promotion was fraught with controversy.”_ Beverly nodded. 

“He told me. But I don’t understand because surely you wouldn’t have promoted Jean-Luc to Captain if you didn’t think he was capable of the job.” Quinn chuckled.

 _“I have every faith in Jean-Luc. But the problem was we don’t promote people from Lieutenant Commander to Captain. There’s an order to the ranks, and I’ve created a bit of a storm by allowing Jean-Luc to skip being a Commander. Some of the other Admirals feel that Jean-Luc is missing a pivotal step in becoming a Captain by not having a few years as a Commander to learn from a Captain. Not to mention, we had a few complaints from classmates that they felt Jean-Luc was receiving special treatment.”_ Beverly wryly smiled.

“Yeah, I bet I can guess who.”

_“Indeed.”_

Beverly ended the call with Admiral Quinn and leaned back in the chair and sighed. She hadn’t wanted to tell Quinn about Jean-Luc, but she knew he was pretty torn up about not having a ship. Jean-Luc came into the room holding onto Jacqui’s hands as she toddled around. She still hadn’t quite grasped letting go and walking, but she loved holding people’s hands to walk. Beverly smiled at the pair. “Hey there.”

“Jacqui wanted to come see you,” Jean-Luc said leaning over to kiss her.

“ _Only_ Jacqui?” He grinned.

“Alright, me too. So, what’s your new assignment?”

“Probably Starfleet Medical with Sora so we can continue our research.” He nodded.

“Do you want a flat of our own?” Beverly shrugged.

“I mean, for now if Walker and Sora don’t mind us living with them, we can all stay there. Might get a bit cosy after Sora has the baby, but that’s still six months away, and a lot can happen in six months....”

“True. I might have a new assignment.” Beverly smiled. She _really_ hoped the investigation completed soon and that Quinn would be able to give Jean-Luc a ship.

###

“I have my new assignment.” Beverly rolled over in bed and rested her head on Jean-Luc’s chest.

”Oh? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I wanted to talk to you about it alone without the kids around.” Beverly’s face fell. Did this mean Jean-Luc was being assigned away from the family? 

“Oh.” He dropped a kiss on her head.

“Nothing bad. I just...I don’t know if I _want_ it.” 

“Well, what is it?”

“Quinn wants me to teach at the Academy.” Beverly’s mouth formed an O shape. This was a surprise.

“What does he want you to teach?”

“Tactics. He said my experience when I took over command of the _Stargazer_ was invaluable to cadets. But Beverly...I don’t want to teach again. I _never_ wanted to teach. It was bad enough after my accident.” 

“What would you like to do instead?” Jean-Luc shrugged, jostling Beverly. 

“I don’t know.” Beverly sat up in bed and reached for her dressing gown. “Where are you going?” 

“Kitchen. This sounds like a discussion to have over cups of tea.” 

“I’ll come with you. We can sit in front of the fireplace.” She smiled. 

“We’ll just have to be quiet. You _know_ Wesley is a light sleeper.”

They settled on the sofa facing the fireplace and Jean-Luc gave it a poke to get it going again. “I guess I never thought about my life if I wasn’t in command of a starship. I always assumed my career would progress naturally....but then it just leapt forward and now I find myself not wanting to take a step backwards.”

“You’d still be a Captain though, right? I mean, they aren’t demoting you are they?”

“I’ll still have the rank, but what good is a Captain without his ship?” He sighed and took a sip of his tea. “I’m sorry. I should be happy for you. Interim head of infectious disease control? That’s huge!” Beverly blushed. 

“It’s not a big deal. Only for a few months. I told them I didn’t want the post permanently.” 

“Why?”

“Well, I want us to be able to follow you when you get a new ship, and I want to be able to work on my Shalaft research. We’re so close!” Jean-Luc rose to pace the small room. 

“I don’t know what I want to do. Maybe I should take a sabbatical and just stay home with the kids?” Beverly almost spit her tea out. 

“You’re joking, right?”

“Well...I always enjoy spending time with our children.” Beverly nodded.

“And they love you, too. But I don’t think you _really_ want to be a house husband, do you? Heck, I love being at home with our babies, but I don’t want to give up my career to stay home.” He shook his head.

“I guess not. I mean, you don’t want to be a housewife, so....”

“Yeah. Hey, what about going back to school? Starfleet Academy offers graduate classes and you do have a little credit from the first time you taught.” 

“I think I blew my chances with Archaeology when I turned down that dig, but I could get a doctorate in Astrophysics, I guess.” Beverly grinned.

“Then we’d _both_ be Doctor Picard.”

“I’d probably still have to teach a class or two, but it wouldn’t be full time. Do you think I can do it?” Beverly nodded.

“I support you one hundred percent. We’ll hire a nanny for Jacqui and Wes like we would have for the _Stargazer_. It will be fine.” She reached out and caught his hand to squeeze it. “I think this is a great idea.” 

###

The family moved back to the flat in San Francisco. Wesley grumbled about it not being fair because he liked his school and he wanted to stay close to Alice, but his parents assured him they would be back for visits frequently and Alice would be visiting them with Adele. Walker discovered the flat next door was available, and so the two families decided to purchase the second flat and to knock down the dividing wall. They remodelled most of the second flat and created more than enough room for their expanding families. 

Sora decided to have her baby at Starfleet Medical, and on a unseasonably warm day in April, Martha Keel came into the world. 


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time jumps ahoy.

**2339**

Jean-Luc looked up from the desk in his study when his pregnant wife wandered in and sat down on the chair with a heavy sigh. “Everything alright, Bev?”

“Mm. I’m just feeling this pregnancy a little worse than the others. I suppose we’re getting old.” He grinned. 

“You wanted three children.” Beverly stuck her tongue out.

“I know. And I do. I just wish I wasn’t so tired all the time. I fell asleep while Jacqui was reading to me before bed. At least she thought it was funny and wasn’t upset.” Jean-Luc rose from behind his desk to kiss his wife.

“Is she still up?”

Beverly nodded. “She told me to go to bed!” He chuckled. Their six-year-old was definitely living up to being her mother’s daughter. 

“What about Wes?”

“He’s on the comms with Alice. They’re hatching summer plans together.” 

“Should I be worried?” Beverly shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. But I think you and Robert might want to make sure that old treehouse is safe. They’re talking about it being a ‘no baby zone’ and I think they’re referring to Jacqui and Rene.” 

“I suppose Alice has had Rene following her around all the time now that Adele has moved them back to La Barre full time. He’s probably like a younger brother to her.” Beverly nodded.

“When I last spoke with your aunt, she told me Alice asked if she could trade Rene for Wesley.” Jean-Luc chuckled. 

“Something tells me, Wesley wouldn’t have a problem with it.” Beverly shook her head.

“Probably not. He adores his aunts and uncle. _And_ his grandparents. I bet he wouldn’t even miss us!” Beverly struggled to rise from her seat and Jean-Luc quickly held out his hands to her. “I’m going to do some packing. Will you check on Jacqui and make sure she turns out her light? And do remind Wesley not to stay up too late. He’s only ten. I shudder to do the time conversion for La Barre and Alice.” Jean-Luc kissed Beverly’s cheek.

“Of course, my love. Why don’t you forget about finishing packing tonight and get in the bath? I’ll join you as soon as I get the kids in bed?” Beverly smiled and kissed her husband.

“Ah, you’re too good to me.” 

Beverly walked into her bedroom and grinned. Stretched out across the middle of the bed was her faithful cat, Baby. Baby was getting on in age, but still as spry as a kitten. Beverly leaned down and scratched Baby behind her ears. 

“Escaping from Jacqui?” Baby blinked one eye at her human. The cat loved the children, and they loved her, but sometimes the old cat just needed to get away from them and would usually hide on Beverly and Jean-Luc’s bed, since the children wouldn’t follow her in. “I’m going to want that bed soon. You’ll have to make room.” Baby rolled over as if to say ‘maybe,’ and Beverly laughed on her way to the bathroom. 

“Knock, knock.” Jean-Luc knocked on the doorframe to his daughter’s room.

“Hi, Daddy.” 

“Hey, princess. What are you reading tonight?” Jacqui held up her book so Jean-Luc could read the title. “ _The Hobbit_?” 

“Yeah. Wes gave it to me. It’s pretty cool.” Jean-Luc nodded. 

“Why don’t we read the rest of the chapter together and then turn out your light? It’s getting past your lights out time. I know school is almost out, but you still have school in the morning.” 

“Ok, Daddy. Will you read it? You do cool voices!” Jean-Luc nodded and took the book from his daughter. 

“Scoot over. Make room for your old dad.” Jacqui giggled. 

“You’re not old, Daddy!” 

Jean-Luc turned to the book and began to read. Jacqui snuggled against her father and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I love you, Daddy.” Jean-Luc kissed the top of her head.

“Love you too, Jacqui.” Jacqui yawned. 

“Can we finish this tomorrow?” 

“Sure, princess. Get some sleep.” 

“Night, Daddy.”

“Night.” Jean-Luc turned off the light and closed the door to Jacqui’s room before knocking on Wesley’s. “Wes, it’s Dad.”

“Come in, Dad.” Jean-Luc opened the door and surveyed the messy room. Wesley had, clearly, not listened to Beverly when she told him to pack. Either that, or packing involved emptying his entire closet onto the floor. Jean-Luc was sure he saw a few empty cups that should have gone into the reclimator a long time ago, too.

“I thought Mom asked you to clean up the mess in here and pack before you called Alice?” 

“Yeah, but I _really_ had to talk to Allie.” Jean-Luc levelled a look at his son.

“Young man.” 

“Sorry,” Wesley slid off his bed and spoke into the portable comm unit. “Sorry, Allie. I gotta go. Dad’s making me clean my room.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes and could hear his young cousin laugh in the background. 

_“Hi, Uncle Jean!”_ Jean-Luc glanced at the unit when Wesley turned it towards him. Alice was wearing her nightgown, and looked like she was sitting up in bed.

“Hi, Alice. Are you up early to talk to Wes or staying up late?” Alice sheepishly grinned. 

_“Sorry.”_ Jean-Luc chuckled.

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to your grandmother.” 

“ _You won’t tell her I was up this late, will you?”_ Jean-Luc levelled a gaze at the screen. 

“I won’t deliberately tell her. But if Aunt Adele tells me how tired you were or asks about the comm call log, I will.” 

_“I guess that’s fair. Thanks, Uncle Jean.”_

“Goodnight, Alice.” 

_“Night Uncle Jean, night Wes! See you soon!”_ Wesley grumbled his goodnight and Jean-Luc ended the call before surveying the very messy bedroom once more. 

“We leave for La Barre in four days and you still have two days of school. I expect you to leave behind a clean bedroom and I expect to see _all_ the empty cups and plates in the reclimator. Have you finished your homework?” Wesley nodded .

”Yeah, Algebra is easy. All I had to do was a take-home final.” Jean-Luc suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Wesley had been skipped ahead another year and was working on Year Seven work despite only being ten. 

“Maybe don’t tell the other Year Sevens that.”

“Yeah, they kinda hate me cos I always know the answers.” Jean-Luc ruffled Wesley’s hair.

“Sorry, kiddo.”

“Nah, it’s ok. It’s kinda cool cos the kids my age think I’m like, a GOD.” Jean-Luc chuckled. He glanced at his son, still wearing his school uniform, albeit crumpled.

“Well, _Gods_ need to shower before bed and put their school uniforms in the clothes refresher before bed.” 

“Ugh, do I hafeta?” Jean-Luc shook his head. Wesley was right at that age where he still needed to be prompted to bathe and Jean-Luc couldn’t wait until he was older and would decide on his own when he needed to shower.

“I could always give you a bath if you’d like. Either shower now, or I’ll wake you up at five tomorrow morning to shower before I do.” 

“Uhh...no thanks. And I _definitely_ don’t want to get up that early. I’ll go.” Wesley grabbed his pyjamas and headed for the bathroom he shared with Jacqui. 

“I expect you to actually use soap and I trust you to go to bed after your shower.” 

“Yeah, Dad. I will.”

Jean-Luc left Wesley to get himself to bed but contemplated his son’s words about school. He felt horrible that Wes was having problems with his classmates, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it as their choices were to drop him back to his age group where he’d be bored, or home school him – and neither he or Beverly liked that idea. He passed Walker on his way to the replicator in the kitchen. Walker looked tired. “Hey, Wal.”

“Sorry if the baby kept you guys up last night. Sora said he’s colicky.” 

“Couldn’t hear a thing.” Walker grinned at his friend and slapped him on the back.

“Who would have _ever_ thought we would be raising our children side by side?” Jean-Luc grinned back. 

“Never thought Sora would actually agree to marry you.”

“Hah, me neither.” Walker replicated a beer and asked Jean-Luc if he wanted one.

“No thanks. Bev’s in the bath and I thought I’d bring her some tea.” Walker wiggled his eyebrows. 

“When is the baby due?” Jean-Luc closed his eyes to do the mental calculations.

“Twelve weeks?” 

“Are you staying in La Barre for the birth?”

“Since we _still_ don’t have a ship, yes.” Walker frowned.

“I know. I mean, I don’t _mind_ working up at Utopia, but I miss being out there.” 

“Me too. I’m a bit surprised they haven’t offered you a position anywhere yet.” 

“They have. I just keep telling them no. I’m not going out without you as my Captain.” Jean-Luc smiled at his best friend.

“Well, thanks, but please. Don’t let your sense of loyalty to me hold back your career.” Walker scrunched up his face.

“I’ll think about it. When’s graduation?” 

“Next week.”

“And then do I have to call you and Beverly both Doctor Picard?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Nah, just Captain Picard, Ph. D.” 

“Hey, maybe they held off on assigning you a ship so you could finish up your doctorate?” Jean-Luc shrugged.

“Maybe. I’ll have to talk to Greg.” Jean-Luc headed for the replicator once more and replicated two cups of tea. “Anyway, Beverly is probably wondering where I am with her tea. Are you hanging out in the living room for a bit?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Could you make sure Wes actually goes to bed?” Walker grinned.

“Sure. Night, Johnny.”

Jean-Luc strode into the bathroom after pausing to laugh at their cat and just took in his wife. She had her head leaning back on an inflatable pillow and her eyes were closed.

“Bev? Are you sleeping?”

“No, just relaxing.” She opened her eyes and sat up to accept her tea. “Thanks.”

“Have I told you how beautiful you look when you are pregnant with my baby?” Beverly softly smiled.

“Well, get your fill of your wife pregnant now, because this is the last baby.” He quirked an eyebrow.

“You sure?”

“I told you I wanted to have three. We’ll have three.” She eyed her husband. “And you need to get your clothing off and in this tub with me. Kids in bed?”

“Ish.” Jean-Luc set his tea down and tugged off his clothes. “Jacqui was falling asleep while I was reading to her, and Walker is going to make sure Wesley goes to bed after his shower. He was still on the call with Alice.”

“At four in the morning Europe time?” Jean-Luc shrugged.

“Yeah, I know. I told Alice I wouldn’t tell Aunt Adele, but if Adele asks me about the call logs, I won’t lie.” Jean-Luc eased himself into the tub settled behind Beverly. Beverly leaned back and his hands went to caress her baby bump. 

“I’m just glad he has a friend, even if she’s his cousin who lives in France. And he’ll get to spend the summer with her, so that’ll be good for him.” Jean-Luc rested his chin on her shoulder.

“I think he’s having trouble with the other kids his age at school - he’s in classes with kids two years older than him and I think they resent him for that.” Beverly sighed. 

“I don’t know what to do about that. If we drop him back, he’d just act up because the class would be too ‘boring’, as he put it when he was in Year Six before they moved him up to Seven.” Jean-Luc sat up and moved his hands to her neck and started giving her a neck massage.

“Well, we have the summer in La Barre. We can talk to Wesley and see what he wants. If he want to be homeschooled...well, we could make it work somehow.” She sighed as Jean-Luc worked on a particularly bad knot in her neck. 

“Enjoy this last moment of peace, Jean-Luc.” Jean-Luc replaced his fingers with his lips and kissed Beverly’s neck.

“I intend to.” 

###

Everyone travelled back to San Francisco for Jean-Luc’s graduation ceremony, even Maurice, who was willing to leave the vineyard attended by a non-family member just the once. Jean-Luc proudly walked across the stage in his dress uniform to accept his new qualifications and a small band of children cheered for him, making him chuckle and the admiral issuing the diplomas to grin and whisper, “they’re not _all_ yours, are they?” Jean-Luc shook his head while he laughed.

”Just two of them with one on the way. The rest are nieces and nephews.” 

“Well, congratulations, Captain Picard, Ph. D. You may use Captain or Doctor, whichever title fits the occasion.” 

“Thank you, Sir.” 

Jean-Luc walked off the stage and hoisted Jacqui into his arms. “What do you think, Princess? Ready to call me ‘Doctor Daddy’?” Jacqui wrinkled her nose and giggled. 

“You’re not a _real_ doctor.” 

“I am so! That’s what the P H D stands for.” 

“I thought a Doctor was an M D like Mommy?” Jean-Luc chuckled. 

“An MD is a Medical Doctor. Mine is...well, I don’t actually know what the P H part stands for, but the D is for Doctor.”

“Oh.”

Beverly leaned over and kissed her husband. “I’m proud of you. We all are.” 

“Hmm. Let’s just hope it impresses the Admirals. I have a meeting with Admiral Quinn next week.” 

“I thought you requested a few weeks of shore leave?”

“I did, but Greg asked to see me. I wasn’t going to say no.” Beverly nodded.

“No, of course not.” Jean-Luc put Jacqui down at her request and she ran to the rest of the family. Jean-Luc drew Beverly into his arms and kissed her deeply. 

“I love you, Bev.” 

“Love you too, Jean.” He grinned. She barely ever used a nickname for him. “Maman wants to see the flat. I’m not sure what Papa wants to do. But Wes wants to show Alice the park and Jacqui, Rene, and Martha want to go to the park now.” 

“Ah, the joys of a big family. Why don’t you take Maman with you and Walke and I will take the children and whoever else wants to come with us to the park.” 

“Good idea. We’ll put together a picnic and meet you there in about an hour?” Jean-Luc nodded. 

Sora decided to go back to the flat with them to feed John, and Marie decided she wanted to see the flat, too. Maurice was going to go with them, but then Jacqui reached for his hand and asked him to push her on the swings at the park, and he couldn’t say no to his granddaughter. 

After their picnic, they returned to the flat where plans were to try to fit everyone into the shared flat for the night. It would be a tight fit, but they had two spare rooms between the two families to use for Yvette and Maurice and for Robert and Marie. Alice and Adele would sleep in Jacqui’s room and she was going to bunk in with Martha. Wesley had complained about having to share his room with Rene, but then he was told it was Rene or his sister, and he quickly agreed to allowing the five-year-old boy in his room. Beverly didn’t bother with her nightgown after she removed her dress and just laid down on the bed in her underwear. “What a day!” 

Jean-Luc leaned down and kissed her. “Indeed. How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted. You need to tell your daughter to calm down.” 

“Why, what did Jacqui do?” Beverly rolled her eyes.

“Not that daughter, _this_ daughter.” She placed his hand on her stomach and he could feel the strong kicks of the baby. He gently caressed her stomach.

“So, you’re convinced it’s a girl, then?” Beverly nodded.

“I know we couldn’t tell on the last scan, but I just have feeling it’s a girl, you know?” Jean-Luc grinned and remembered her fantasy from when they were dating about having three children and how it would be one boy and two girls. He shook his head.

“Ah, poor Wes. Outnumbered.” 

“He’ll be alright.” Jean-Luc nodded and headed for the bathroom to finally remove his dress uniform he had been wearing for most of the day and to take a quick shower. 

“Something’s wrong with my collar, Bev. I’m sure it shrank in the refresher.” He didn’t get a response from his wife so he walked out of the bathroom with his top in his hands. “Bev?” He smiled. Beverly was fast asleep on her back with Baby curled up above her head.

###

“Captain Picard. Or do I now call you Doctor Picard?” Jean-Luc grinned when Admiral Quinn shook his hand. 

“Captain, please. I think officially on documents I am Captain Picard, Ph. D.”

“And the Comte part?” Jean-Luc shrugged. 

“I have no idea where that fits in. I suppose I’m ‘Captain Picard, Comte du La Barre, Ph.D.’, but that’s a bit of a mouthful Besides, we never use the titles except on the wine labels.” 

“Indeed. Now, the reason I called you in is I have an assignment for you, but it won’t be available for five years.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. _Five years_? What assignment took five years to sort out? _Unless....._

“Oh?”

“I’d like to give you the new _Enterprise_.” Jean-Luc gasped.

“The...the _Enterprise?”_

Quinn slowly nodded. “That’s the name we are giving the second of the new Galaxy class ships. It will be our flagship, like the other ships before it that bore the same name. This one will have the designation of _1701_ _D_ and will be a family ship. Would you like it?” Jean-Luc nodded. He’d be stupid to say no.

“Yes, thank you, Sir.” Quinn nodded.

“You’ll get to pick your crew, too. Though I have a feeling I already know who your Chief Medical Officer will be.” Jean-Luc grinned.

“If you’ll allow it, Sir.” He knew it was rare for married couples to serve together, but he was hoping Admiral Quinn would make the exception for him and Beverly, and take into consideration the three children they would have by then.

“Yes, but she’ll have to be promoted to Commander, first.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“I think Beverly wanted to take her commander test after her maternity leave is up.” 

“Good, good. And Commander Keel? You’ll want him as your First again?” 

“If you’ll let me, though he told me he was offered other positions. I’m not sure what to do about Sora though, Sir. She and Beverly basically have equal credentials.” Quinn steepled his fingers and though about it. 

“Doctor Keel is more about research than treating patients, isn’t she?” 

“Yes.”

“Well then, name her head of Medical Research. Your ship is to be a ship of exploration, research, and experimentation. We’ll talk more about the rest of your crew after your shore leave. I’ll assign you a desk here when you get back, and I assume you’ll still be taking Paternity leave?”

“Yes sir. The full year again, if you’ll allow it.”

“I will,” Quinn smiled at his protégé. “I’m really proud of you, Jean-Luc. You’re dismissed.”

###

Jean-Luc, Beverly, Walker, and Sora were all in the living room after the children had been sent to bed. Jean-Luc’s parents and Robert and Marie had returned to the vineyard earlier in the day as Maurice hadn’t wanted to leave for too long, but Alice was staying with them for a week, so she could see a few sites. Alice was excited when Wesley told her they would get to tour the Academy the following day, and the children had, surprisingly, gone straight to bed when they were told. Jean-Luc sat on the sofa and extended his arm and Beverly curled into him. 

“I have news from my meeting with Quinn.”

“Good news, I hope, Johnny.” Jean-Luc grinned at his best friend.

“Well, I _hope_ you think it’s good news. You see, I’ve been given a ship.” 

“Finally!” Beverly kissed Jean-Luc. “So where are we going?” 

“Well, it won’t be ready for a few years, it’s still in production.” Walker’s mouth fell open in shock.

“No!”

“Yes.” Sora and Beverly glanced between the two men.

“Well, aren’t you going to tell us?” Walker grinned at his wife and leaned over her to clasp Jean-Luc’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Couldn’t have gone to a better Captain, in my opinion. And hey, we’ll get to design our own quarters, too. That is, I assume...”

“Of course you’re my first officer.” Jean-Luc turned to Sora. “Sora, I’d like you to be my head of medical research. Our ship is going to be for exploration and experimentation, so you’ll have a dedicated team of scientists and doctors.”

“Oh, wow. Really?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Thanks Johnny. What about the kids?” 

“Ah, our ship will not only allow for families, but there will be dedicated classrooms for the children and we’ll also have civilians serving with us once more.” Beverly grew quiet. 

“What about me?” 

Jean-Luc grinned. “Do you _really_ think I would ask anyone but you to serve as my Chief Medical Officer?” Beverly’s eyes widened.

“Really?” 

“Really. But you’ll have to earn your pips. I don’t want to get accused of promoting you just because you’re my wife.” Beverly grinned.

“Well, how long do we have?” 

“It will be five years before our ship is ready. Quinn is assigning me an office at Command to use to put our crew together over the next few years, and we will both still go on leave when the baby is born.”

“Aren’t you going to tell us the _name_ of this mysterious ship of exploration that will have families on board?” Jean-Luc’s grin got bigger.

“The _Enterprise._ 1701-D. Second Galaxy class starship to ever be built.”

###

Sora grinned at her friend as they worked side-by-side in their lab at Medical. Beverly was going on her maternity leave in less than a week, and wanted to tie up some loose ends for her friend. 

“So I guess we’ll be moving all this research onto the _Enterprise_. Will you be able to help with all your CMO responsibilities?” Beverly shrugged.

“I’m sure I’ll find time, but the next five years – well, _four_ after my leave are going to be busy. Hey, why don’t you take the Commander course with me? Let’s both become Commanders together.” 

Sora’s eyes twinkled. “Then I’d be of equal rank as Wally. Oooh, that could be fun.” Beverly laughed.

“I plan on signing up for the course when Maura is one.” 

“So you’ve settled on the name, then?” Beverly nodded. 

“Wesley has an English name and Jacqui has a French name, so we decided to go back to my family’s Scottish roots for this one. Nana is thrilled as we’ve decided to call her Maura Felisa.” 

“Will Felisa be able to visit this time?” 

“I hope so. I’m still a bit upset she missed Jacqui’s birth.” Beverly frowned. She and her grandmother weren’t as close as they were when Wesley was a baby, and she didn’t know why.

“Did she say why?” Beverly shrugged.

“Not really. She just said she didn’t want to travel. She _still_ hasn’t met Jacqui because we haven’t been able to get to Caldos...and honestly, I don’t even _want_ to go to Caldos.” Sora rested a hand on Beverly’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Bev.” Beverly brought her hand up to pat her best friend’s.

“Thanks.” 

###

Maura arrived just as quickly as her sister had. Beverly had barely been in the tub before she was pushing and Maura was born with a crop of dark fuzz matching her father’s former hair. Jean-Luc kissed Beverly’s cheek before getting out of the birthing pool per her request once more. Instead he took their new daughter out into the corridor to meet her family, including her brother and sister. Jacqui wanted to know if she could dress Maura in one of her doll’s dresses, which made everyone laugh. Yvette held her newest granddaughter in her arms and kissed her son’s cheek. 

“She’s beautiful, Jean-Luc. You and Beverly make gorgeous children together.” Jean-Luc smiled at his mother and ran a finger gently down Maura’s cheek. 

“Beverly says this is the last one, Maman.” Yvette made a noise that sounded like psssh. 

“I don’t believe it. I think there will be another.”

“We’ll see, Maman.” 

Sora poked her head out of the door. “Beverly is ready to feed the baby and asked for Wesley and Jacqui to come in, too.” Jean-Luc nodded and took the small bundle back from his mother.

Baby was already on the bed next to Beverly, who held out her arms for Maura. She immediately placed the baby against her breast and Wesley made a face. “Ewwww, gross!” 

“ _Wesley.”_ Wesley looked at his father sheepishly. “Sorry, Dad.” 

“You saw your mother feed Jacqui like this after she was born, and how do you think _you_ were fed when you were a baby?” Wesley shook his head.

“No way!”

“I think we even have a picture of your mother feeding you somewhere.” Wesley scowled, but got onto the bed and sat at Beverly’s feet. Jacqui stared down at Maura in awe. 

“Mommy, can I hold her?” 

“Of course you can, sweetheart. Just let me finish feeding her first. Why don’t you get in the bed too?” Jacqui climbed over Jean-Luc to squeeze in between her parents. Jean-Luc chuckled.

“This is getting to be a bit of a tradition, isn’t it?”

“Hmm?”

“You have a baby and the whole family piles into the bed together including the cat.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Beverly’s forehead. 

“This is the last time, though Mister.”

“It’s Mister _Captain,_ Mommy.” She smiled at her daughter, while Jean-Luc merely raised his eyebrows at his wife. He wasn’t so sure he believed her.

###

The family spent the summer in La Barre, but moved back into the apartment for Wesley and Jacqui to return to their school, and for Jacqui, to her friends. She was just as smart as her brother, but even though she was offered the chance to skip ahead, she had asked her parents to leave her where she was with her friends, and she promised not to be bored. Wesley had decided to enter Year Eight, and told his parents he would just cope with the teenagers he would be having classes with. The bigger challenge for Wesley would be the following year, when he would enter the high school as a twelve-year-old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note to say I'm on holiday as of pressing post on this chapter for the next two weeks. My laptop is coming along, and I'll try to get Chapters 38 & 39 up on time, but if it's not, don't panic. I'm seeing my best friend who I haven't seen in four years for the first week of our holiday, so I might not have time to edit and post chapter 38 until next Friday. If I don't have wifi, then it might have to wait until next Sunday, when I know I'll have wifi.
> 
> You can keep up with me on Twitter @annaonthemoon if you want to know what I'm up to! (or instagram as beccajanestclair).


	38. Chapter 38

**2341**

Beverly and Sora had converted the room Jean-Luc had used as his study when he was working on his PhD into their joint study for prepping for their Commander exams. Jean-Luc, having never actually taken the Commander exam since he was propelled straight from Lieutenant Commander to Captain, had very little advice to offer them, and Walker hadn’t needed the exam either since he was already bridge staff. Both Beverly and Sora would be promoted in rank regardless of the test results, but passing the exam would ensure their ability to sit a shift on the bridge or take command if necessary. As Chief Medical Officer with a full Commander rank, this would put Beverly as the defacto “third officer” for the ship, despite the fact that she would technically outrank her husband in terms of his medical care. This last part still made her laugh and she would tease Jean-Luc incessantly that she outranked him. Sora tossed the PADD she was studying onto the desk with a clatter.

“How far into the module are you?” 

“Unit three. You?” 

“Me too. Ugh, how many do we have to complete before class on Thursday?” Beverly sighed.

“Five.” 

Both women were feeling the strain of keeping up with their usual work load in their lab, raising their family, and taking the commander class, which met twice per week and one full weekend day. It was a _lot_ of sacrifice for the two young families, but fortunately Jean-Luc and Walker supported their spouses and tried to pick up some of the slack. They even hired a nanny on a part-time basis to help out Beverly and Sora if they needed to study but Jean-Luc and Walker weren’t home. Wesley, too, as the eldest, had started to help out with his younger siblings and honorary cousins. He was twelve, and while they wouldn’t leave him to watch his siblings alone, he could look after Maura and John if Beverly and Sora were home.

Jean-Luc and Wesley were in the kitchen together prepping dinner for the families. Wesley was cutting potatoes for the stew his father was preparing and Jean-Luc was cutting the simulated meat into bite-sized pieces. 

“Dad, can’t we just replicate dinner?” Jean-Luc grinned at his son. 

“We _could_ , but your mother and I both grew up without replicators in our kitchens and knowing how to cook is still a valuable skill to have. You never know when you might be stranded on a planet and need to cook over an open fire, for example.“

“Uh, I’d just open up a meal rations packet that self heats.” Jean-Luc smirked. 

“Sure, if you had one on you. But what if you had to live off the land? Or what if the replicator was broken and you couldn’t get someone to repair it right away?” Wesley shrugged and returned to chopping the potatoes. 

Jacqui came into the kitchen with her hands clapped over her ears. “Daddy, my ears hurt.” Jean-Luc frowned. 

“Wes, keep an eye on the pot please. When it starts to boil, add the potatoes and carrots. I’m going to look at your sister’s ears.” 

“Want me to get Mom?” Jean-Luc shook his head.

“Not yet. She and Sora are busy studying.” 

Jean-Luc rested a hand on his daughter’s back. “Let’s see if we can fix your earache without disturbing Mommy, Sweetie.” 

Jacqui changed into her pyjamas and was under the covers in her parent’s room with Baby the cat curled up next to her and her favourite doll tucked under her arm when Beverly came into the bedroom. She and Jean-Luc seemed to have a conversation with their eyes and Beverly visibly sighed before she sat on the bed and gently ran her hand across her daughter’s forehead. “Jacqui, sweetheart,” she whispered. “How do you feel?”

Tears welled up in Jacqui’s eyes. “Mommy, the inside of my ear hurt.”

“Shhh, don’t cry, baby girl. Will you let Aunt Sora examine you?” Jacqui sniffed.

“Why can’t you?” 

“Because Mommies aren’t supposed to treat their children if there’s another doctor available. It’s one of our rules.” 

“Oh. But Daddy scanned me already.” Beverly kissed the top of Jacqui’s head.

“I know he did, sweetheart, but Aunt Sora needs to check so she knows how to treat you.”

“Ok. I guess that’s ok.”

Jean-Luc leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jacqui’s forehead. “I’m going to go back out into the kitchen to supervise your brother making dinner. I’m making stew, but what would you like?” 

“Grilled cheese?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“Coming right up.”

Beverly walked Jean-Luc to the door and he kissed her gently. “Is it the Shalaft’s?” He spoke softly, not wanting Jacqui to hear them. Beverly slowly nodded. “I think so. The scan you took seemed to indicate it might be. That’s why I need Sora to take a look at her. We’re almost ready with a sort of vaccine against it developing, but for now, we’ll have to treat her the same way Adele was.” 

“Will she need to go to the hospital?” Beverly shook her head.

“I don’t think so. We should be able to apply the medicine via a hypospray.” 

“Hmm. Good.” Jean-Luc kissed his wife again. “I’ll get Sora.”

Jean-Luc joined Wesley back in the kitchen and began pulling things down for grilled cheese. “I thought we were making stew?”

“We are, but your sister asked for a grilled cheese.” Wesley nodded.

“Can I make it for her?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Replicate or make?” Wesley grinned back.

“Nah, I’ll make it for her. She took care of me last time I was sick.”

“Good lad.” 

Sora came into the bedroom with her medkit and spoke low into Beverly’s ear. “Shalaft’s?” 

“I think so. I mean, it _could_ just be an ear infection, but with the family history...Well, check the tricorder. Jean-Luc scanned her and there was no explanation for the ear ache, so it almost _has_ to be.” Sora nodded.

“Yeah. I agree with you, but let me examine her first.”

“Do you have the medication she’ll need?” Sora nodded again. 

“I used the medical override on the replicator to get it. Otherwise, I’d have to go to the hospital. I also got her a light sedative so she’ll sleep.”

“Thanks, Sora.” 

“Hey, anything for my goddaughter.” 

Sora ran her tricorder over Jacqui’s ears and Jacqui cried. “Aunt Sora, it’s too loud!” 

“Sorry, sweetheart.” Sora adjusted the tricorder and scanned her again. She looked over at Beverly. “It’s definitely the Shalaft’s, no other explanation. I’ll get the hyposprays.”

“Thanks.” Beverly watched her son walk into the room with a small plate and a glass of chocolate milk. She grinned. 

“Jacqui, I told Dad I’d make you your sandwich.” 

“Wes, honey, speak softer. Remember when your ears hurt when you were little?” Wesley nodded. “It’s happening to Jacqui.” 

“Sorry, J,” Wesley whispered. He passed his sister her sandwich and whispered. “I got you chocolate milk. Dad wanted you to have regular milk, so don’t tell him!” Jacqui giggled, and then grabbed her ear.

“Sorry!” 

Wesley stayed while Jacqui ate her sandwich and before he left with the empty plate, he gave her a hug. “It’ll be ok. Mom and Aunt Sora will fix it. Want me to get you Bunny?” Jacqui nodded. Bunny was a stuffed bunny Wesley had picked out for Jacqui when she was born, and she had become attached to the toy, even if he was fairly ratty and faded now. She refused offers of new bunnies and always slept with the plush bunny from her brother. Wesley grinned. “Back in a flash, J!”

Beverly squeezed Wesley’s shoulders as he walked by. “Thanks, Wes. You’re a good big brother.” He grinned. 

“Mommy, I want Daddy.” Beverly glanced at Wesley’s retreating back.

“I’ll tell him, Mom.”

Jean-Luc came into the room, carrying the stuffed Bunny Wesley had given him for Jacqui. “You asked for me, Princess?” Jacqui nodded.

“Will you hold me, Daddy? I’m scared.” Jean-Luc exchanged a look with Beverly and climbed onto the bed. 

“Come here, princess.” He settled Jacqui in his lap and passed her the bunny, which she clutched tightly. “I haven’t held you like this since you were Maura’s age. Well, maybe a little older.” Jacqui smiled.

“But I’m still your princess, right?” Jean-Luc nodded. 

“You’re both my little princesses. And your grandfather’s.”

“When can we see Granmere and Granpere?” 

“We can go on the weekend after you feel better, alright?” Jacqui nodded and cuddled into her father’s chest. She fingered the bunny in her lap. “Bunny’s ears hurt too.” 

Beverly settled on the bed next to Jean-Luc, and Baby hopped into her lap. “We’ll have to treat Bunny, too, in that case.” 

Sora came back in with the hyposprays in her hand. “Are you ready, Jacqui?” 

Jacqui nodded. “An’ you need to fix Bunny, too.” She held up her Bunny

. Sora smiled. “How about we treat Bunny after we treat you, ok?” Sora held the hypospray to Jacqui’s shoulder. “You’ll hear two little hisses. The first is the medicine, and the second will help you get some rest.” 

“’kay.” Sora dispensed the medicine, then pretended to give it to Bunny with Beverly turning her head to make the pssh noise. Jean-Luc smoothed back Jacqui’s hair. 

“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” Jacqui nodded and yawned. 

“Will Baby stay too?” She reached out and stroked the cat. 

“If you ask her, she might. But she is a cat, so she might need to leave in the middle of the night.” 

“Baby, will you stay with me?” Baby butted he head against Jacqui’s hand as if to say ‘yes of course.’

Beverly leaned over and kissed Jacqui’s forehead. “I need to check on Maura, sweetheart. Will you be alright?”

“Daddy, will you stay?”

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep, Princess.” 

###

Jean-Luc joined the family around the large dinner table. “How’s J?” 

“Sleeping. Thanks for bringing her some food, Wes.” Wesley blushed and mumbled something about Alice telling him to be nicer to his sisters. Jean-Luc grinned. “Well, remind me to thank her.” 

Jean-Luc glanced at the two highchairs, now sat several feet apart. “John and Maura throwing food at each other again?” 

“Uh-huh,” Martha Keel spoke up. “Uncle Jean, they’re being _very_ naughty.” Jean-Luc scrunched up his face.

“I can remember when you were Maura’s age. You and Jacqui used to get into quite a bit of trouble. You still do!” He ruffled her hair on his way past to get a plateful of stew. “Who made bread?”

“Replicated. Sorry.” 

“That’s alright. I told Jacqui we’d go home to see Maman and Papa this weekend if she was feeling better. I guarantee Maman will send us home with plenty of fresh bread for the freezer.” Beverly rolled her eyes at her husband. 

“You’re probably right.” Beverly finished her plate and eyed Maura. “And you, young lady, are in need of a bath.” 

“Noooooooooooooooooo.” 

“Yeeeeeeessssssss,” Beverly teased the toddler back. 

“John needs a bath too. Want to throw them in together? It’ll be quicker and then we can get back to studying.” 

“Sure.” Beverly unhooked Maura from her high chair the same time Walker unbuckled John. “Wes, do me a favour and get Maura’s ducky towel, her pyjamas, and a fresh diaper for me?” 

“Sure, Mom. Can I call Alice later?” 

“Hmm. Don’t keep her up too late.” 

All the children were in bed or at least in their bedroom in Wesley’s case and the adults were enjoying a glass of wine together. 

“Jacqui is fast asleep. Should I carry her into her bedroom?” 

“Is there room for us in the bed?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“She’s in the middle, naturally.” 

“Just leave her be. I think we can make the exception for a sick kid, don’t you?” 

“She’ll be alright, won’t she?” Sora nodded at Jean-Luc.

“Honestly, she’ll be fine in the morning. I used the same formula Adele was treated with and according to her records, it was instant relief. I just gave her the sedative because I felt she needed some sleep, too.” 

“Thanks. It’s good to have two doctors around.”

###

A young Lieutenant Commander with dark hair slid into a seat next to Beverly at the table she and Sora were eating lunch at. “Hi, I’m Will Riker. You are?”

“Married, but thanks.” Sora laughed at the look on Will Riker’s face. He turned to Beverly.

“Married. Three kids.” 

“Well, that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, ladies.” Beverly eyed the young man.

“Hmm.” 

“Oh, I see Walker and Johnny. Looks like they got away from their meeting!” Sora rose and waved at the men on the other side of the room. “Over here!”

Walker and Jean-Luc carried their food over to the table Sora was dancing above and Walker gave Sora a quick kiss. “You going to do that dance for me later, babe?” Sora laughed and smacked him. “Maybe after the kids go to bed.” 

“Who’s your friend, Bev?” Walker eyed the young man who sheepishly grinned at Walker.

“Commander, my name is Lieutenant Commander William T Riker.” 

“I see. And the reason you are cuddled up to the Captain’s wife is...?” Will’s eyes went wide.

“Captain?”

“Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I see you met my wife.” Will stood up and vacated the chair next to Beverly. 

“Sir. Sorry, Sir. I, ah...I didn’t know she was your wife.” Jean-Luc quirked an eyebrow at his wife. 

“Leading young Lieutenant Commanders astray again, my love? How many times do I have to tell you...” She grinned.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” 

“Sir...It’s not your wife’s fault...I...ah...I walked over to _her...._ and....uhh....” Jean-Luc smiled.

“At ease, Commander. William Riker you say? Hmm, your name has passed across my desk recently. Aren’t you stationed on the _Hood_ right now?”

“Yes, Sir. Just on a short course at the Academy.” 

“Hmm. Come see me in my office tomorrow. 0900 suit?”

“Yes....Sir. That’s....uhm...fine.” Jean-Luc gave him a once over.

“You are dismissed.” 

Will Riker walked away and Sora and Beverly both began to laugh. “He’s shitting his pants now, Johnny.” 

“I wasn’t...I wasn’t _too_ hard on him, was I?” Beverly shook her head.

“No ,darling, but I have a feeling he thinks you’re going to yell at him or demote him tomorrow morning for daring to speak with your wife.” 

“Ah, well. His name _has_ come across my desk as a candidate for second officer. I planned on contacting him for an interview at some point. “ 

“He needs to loosen up a bit.” 

###

Beverly stormed into the flat and headed straight for the bedroom, where she fell onto the bed. She buried her face in her pillow and let out a primal scream, not wanting to disturb Maura and John, who were napping under the watchful eye of the nanny. 

She had failed her first try at the practical. For the _same reason_ she had failed all those years ago when she was taking her academy entrance exams. Despite the fact that Jean-Luc was a Captain, in her scenario, she was the one in charge and part of her decision as the one in command involved deciding to abandon the away team – consisting of her husband, Walker, and several other crewmen – due to the ship taking fire and needing to retreat in order to save the rest of the ship, some one thousand crew and civilians, including children, _her_ children. 

She couldn’t do it. She refused to leave her husband behind and the result was the entire ship was destroyed with no survivors. 

She cried into her pillow and absently stroked Baby who had jumped onto the bed to offer her comfort. “Hi, Baby. You always know when I need you.” She cradled the old grey cat close and mulled the scenario over in her head. She would be allowed to retake it two more times, she just had to figure out _what_ to do. She didn’t _want_ to sacrifice her husband and father of her children, but if she wanted to pass and become a commander, she supposed she would _have_ to. She frowned. What she really wanted to do was to mull things over in a bubble bath, but as a mother of three, that really wasn’t an option.

She pushed herself up into a seated position when she heard the front door open. There wasn’t any noise, so it wasn’t Wesley and Jacqui with Martha coming home from school, so it must be one of the adults. She didn’t think it was Sora, she had her practical tomorrow and was working on the simulator. She heard the footsteps head towards the bedroom door and she smiled. It was Jean-Luc. He stuck his head in the doorway and surveyed his wife’s tear stained face.

“Bev? You ok?” Beverly wiped her eyes.

“I will be. I just....”

“I know.” Jean-Luc came to sit on the bed next to her and she leaned into him. 

“If you had to take this exam for your promotion and it was me, what would you have done?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t think I would be able to sacrifice the mother of my children and love of my life, either. But there has to be a way because we’ll be serving together and I can’t _not_ have you go down on away missions. You’ll be the Chief Medical Officer. You’ll be required to go.” He leaned over and kissed her. 

“Want me to take care of the kids tonight?” She smiled.

“Would you?”

“Sure. I’ll get them fed and in bed. Do you want any dinner brought to you?” She shook her head.

“Maybe just a cup of tea?” 

“I’ll go get it for you.”

“Thanks.”

Wesley and Jacqui were easy enough when they came home from school. Wesley had asked if he could go to the park with his friends to play baseball, and Jacqui asked her older brother if she could come watch. Jean-Luc eyed his eight-year-old. “You’ll have to listen to your brother.”

“Hah!” Wesley exclaimed. “ _Wesley_.”

“Sorry Dad.” 

“Within _reason._ You can’t make your sister do things just because you can.” Wesley frowned .”Aw, man.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “I expect you both home at six. Your mother is not to be disturbed this evening, got it?” 

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Daddy, can I go say goodbye to Mommy?” Jean-Luc smiled at his middle child. 

“Sure, sweetheart.” 

“Is Mom sick?” Jean-Luc shook his head.

“No, just had a bad day today and I told her to relax.” 

“Uncle Jean, can I go too?” Jean-Luc glanced at Wesley. 

“Wes? Would you mind taking Martha too?” 

“Nah, I guess not. She and Jacqui can sit in the stands and cheer for me.” 

Maura came out of her bedroom, crying, with the Nanny trailing behind. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“It’s alright.” He bent down and picked up his youngest. “What’s wrong, Princess?” He gently wiped her tears. 

“I went pee pee.” He felt her bottom and hid his grimace. 

“That’s alright, Princess. We can put on clean pants and change the bed.” Maura was two and a half, and she was determined to not need diapers anymore because John Keel, who was seven months older than her, was already toilet trained. 

“I’m sorry, Sir. I know you still put her in diapers for bedtime, but she insisted on napping in her panties.” 

“It’s fine, Nance. Honest. I can handle Maura.” Jean-Luc turned his eyes back to the little girls in his arms. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Mommy?”

“Mommy is sleeping.” Maura seemed to understand and allowed her father to carry her into the bathroom she shared with her older sister. “Let’s get these into the refresher and sit you on the potty.” 

###

After dinner, baths, homework and bedtime stories, the three children were tucked in bed – well, the two younger ones were. Jean-Luc had simply reminded his almost thirteen-year-old to turn out his light by nine. Jean-Luc carried a fresh cup of tea into the bedroom for Beverly. 

“Bev?” 

“Mm, thanks.” She set her PADD down and took the cup from her husband. “I think I figured it out.”

“Oh?”

“The ship separates, right?” Jean-Luc nodded. “So I could send the saucer section with all the crew and civilians except for my small crew away and stay behind with the star drive. I could beam the away team to the star drive and warp out, hopefully without destroying us....but if I did, it would only be a few lives lost instead of a thousand.” She frowned. “Though....if we both died, then our children would be orphans. Oh God, I can’t do this!” 

“You can. Come on, let’s take a bath, turn those jets on, and relax for a bit.”

###

They were relaxing in the bath, when Beverly brought up the topic that had been laying heavy on her. “Jean-Luc, what _if_ something happened to both of us?”

“What do you mean?” Jean-Luc held up her loofa and she nodded and turned her back towards him to wash. 

“We both know that accidents and death happen on starships. What if something happened to us. What would happen to the children?” Jean-Luc paused in running the sponge over Beverly’s back and turned her back towards him. 

“This has you really worried, doesn’t it?” She nodded and he drew her into his arms in the warm water. 

“Well, they have Walker and Sora. And Robert, Marie. Maman, Papa, and Adele.....your grandmother,” Beverly snorted, “And I’m _sure_ whoever we have on our crew would help look after them.”

“Maura is so young. What if something happens and she forgets about us?” Jean-Luc kissed her gently. “

Oh, my love. Maura will always know who we are. And _nothing_ is going to happen to us. Our ship won’t ever be in a battle situation. We’ll be exploring and doing experiments and research and occasional diplomatic missions. The only other option would be for me to resign or refuse the appointment and we stay on Earth....”

“No. You belong on a ship. I’m sorry. You’re right. Nothing bad will happen.” She kissed him again. “I’m just being silly.”

“That’s alright. I love you, Beverly.”

“I love you too, Jean-Luc.”

###

Beverly passed her commander practical exam and Jean-Luc revelled in being able to pin her third gold pip onto her collar. “Congratulations, my love.” 

“Thank you.” Beverly hoisted Maura into her arms and the toddler’s fingers immediately went to play with the pips. “Hey, that’s new kiddo. Be careful with it.” 

A young woman with long, curly dark hair and dark eyes came up to Beverly. “Congratulations, Commander.”

“Oh, thank you Deanna. I’d like you to meet my husband, Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc, this is my friend Deanna. She’s an intern at Medical.” Jean-Luc held his hand out for Deanna to shake and noticed her eyes.

“Betazoid?”

“Half. My mother is, my father was human.” 

“So can you read minds?” Deanna shook her head.

“No, I can’t read thoughts, only emotions...for example, I can feel your pride for your wife, and you’re feeling embarrassed that you asked me about my heritage. Don’t be. It’s my eyes. I’m used to it.” 

“It was highly inappropriate of me. I’m sorry. So, you’re planning on becoming a doctor?” Deanna shook her head.

“No, counsellor. I already have a degree from the university at home, and now I’m attending the Academy as I’ve decided to become a counsellor for Starfleet.” Jean-Luc nodded. It was only recently that Starfleet had decided on long missions a ship would need a counselling team, especially for ships such as his new Galaxy class which would have civilians and children on board. 

“My ship will be in need of a few counsellors. Perhaps you would like to apply?” Deanna blushed. 

“I hope you didn’t think I befriended your wife just to try to get a position on your ship.” 

“No, of course not.” Maura was tired of Beverly keeping her from playing with her pips and held out her arms to her father. Jean-Luc happily took the toddler. Deanna smiled at the young girl. 

“Sir, I think your daughter is trying to get your attention.” Jean-Luc glanced at Maura’s face.

“Maura, do you need to potty?” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“Please excuse me, Deanna. I think I need to find the facilities for Maura.” Deanna watched as her future Captain walked away with a toddler on his hip and she turned back to her friend.

“He loves his children.”

“He does. He’s a great father. I don’t think you’ve met my other two. Wes? Jacqui? Come meet my friend Deanna.”

###

The Picards returned to La Barre for a few weeks in the summer. In just a few short years, they wouldn’t be able to visit as frequently, so they were determined to make the most of their time while they were still on Earth. Alice peppered Beverly with questions about attending the Academy. She was fifteen, and had her eye on attending when she was a bit older. Wesley was jealous as he wanted to attend too, but the Academy wouldn’t even look at him until he was at least sixteen, even if he would be graduating with a diploma the following year. 

“Tante Adele, I wanted to talk to you about Alice.” 

“Is she bothering you, Bev? I’m sorry. She’s just very excited to attend the Academy eventually.” Beverly smiled at her husband’s aunt. 

“I know. I was wondering....would you like us to take her with us on the _Enterprise_ for a year before she applies? She can experience life on a ship and out in space first to see if she _really_ wants to attend the Academy...and she told me she’s interested in medicine?” Adele nodded.

“She is. In fact, Beverly, she basically idolises you.” Beverly blushed. 

“I’ve never had someone look up to me like that. I’m not...I’m far from perfect, I hope she knows.” 

Adele grinned. “If Alice wants to live with you and Jean-Luc on the _Enterprise_ , I will allow it. But she must learn something while she’s there.” Beverly nodded.

“Oh, we’ll make sure she stays busy. It won’t be a year of leisure.” 

“Even if you just put her to work helping out with the children.” Beverly grinned.

“Well, Sora _is_ pregnant with their third. I’m sure she’d welcome the help.”

“But not you, dear?” 

“Oh no, Tante Adele. I told Jean-Luc I was done with three.” Adele smiled at the younger woman. 

“My sister-in-law seems to think differently.”

“I know. But I’m quite happy with my three hooligans.” Adele laughed. 

“Speaking of, where _are_ your little angels?” 

“Wesley went riding with Alice, and Jacqui and Maura are bothering their grandpere.” Adele snorted.

“Not like Mo minds.” 

Beverly grinned. “Probably not.”


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penultimate chapter!

**2344**

The Picard family stepped off of the transporter pad and the children darted off in all directions wanting to explore.

“I want to check out Stellar Cartography!”

“Can I see the bridge?”

“Daddy, I wanna see the dolphins.” 

“Oncle Jean, Can I go with Tante Beverly to Sickbay?”

Jean-Luc looked at his brood plus Alice and chuckled. “Hold on, kids. First, we’re going to go to our quarters because we need to at least drop off Baby. Second, Jacqui, you’ll have to wait and I’ll take you there to look around later. Third, Wes, the bridge is off limits unless you are with your mother or myself. Yes, Maura, I will take you to see the dolphins, but let’s get settled in our quarters first. And Alice, sweetheart, if Beverly doesn’t mind taking you with her, you may go.” He exchanged a look with Beverly and grinned. “Right. Clear the decks. The Keels are beaming up next.”

When the Keels beamed up, the youngest addition, Lucy, held out her arms to Jean-Luc. “Up?”

Jean-Luc grinned and scooped the little girl up giving his best friend a wry grin. “I still can’t believe you named _two_ of your children after me.” Walker shrugged.

“What can I say? It seemed like a good idea.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes and after giving Lucy a kiss on the top of her head, he passed her to Alice, who had her arms open for the little girl. Lucy squealed with delight at being held by the older girl.

“Ally!” Alice grinned.

“Hey, Lucy.”

“Ok, Number One. After we get the children settled, we better report to the bridge.” 

“I need to get to Sickbay, Jean-Luc. Are the childminders on board yet?” Jean-Luc exchanged a look with his wife.

“Let’s hope so.”

“Aw, man. I don’t need a babysitter!” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his son. 

“Wes...humour me. Unless you’d like to look after your younger sisters for us instead of exploring the ship on your own, I suggest you zip it.” Wesley smiled. 

“Really, Dad? I can explore?” 

“As long as you stay out of restricted areas and don’t enter the Bridge without my permission.” Jacqui reached for her father’s hand and tugged on his arm.

“Dad, can I go explore too?” Jean-Luc looked over at Wesley.

“Wes? Would you mind if Jacqui goes with you?” Wesley shrugged and looked at his sister.

“Nah, I guess not. Come on, J. Let’s go explore.” Wesley eyed Martha, who had a pout on her face. He ruffled the blonde’s head. “Uncle Wally, I think Marthie wants to come too.” Walker smiled at his eldest.

“You may go with Wesley and Jacqui, but listen to Wes. Same restrictions apply to you. No restricted areas unless you’re with an adult. And no, Wes or Alice do not count.” Martha grinned at her father.

“Thank you, Daddy!”

###

The ship experienced its first first contact with an unknown alien who called himself Q. Q appeared in the Picard family quarters and looked around and took in the little girl reading a book on the floor. “Family man, eh, Picard,” the man spat out in disgust. Jean-Luc looked up from the PADD he was looking at.

“Er, who are you and how do you know me? Never mind that, how did you get into my quarters?” Jean-Luc went to reach for his comm badge when the being snapped his fingers and the badge disappeared.

“Ugh. Don’t bring that bumbling Klingon in. No, I don’t know you. But I do know _a_ Picard.” Jean-Luc scratched his head. “Er?” Q made a dramatic sigh and walked around the room, looking at the assorted knick knacks and toys.

“ My name is Q. I thought I could have some fun here, but it’s boring.” He picked up a family photo and scoffed. “You’re married to the red headed doctor _and_ have kids with her? How utterly domestic and boring. Where’s the angry Captain? The risk taking Captain? The pining for the woman he loves Captain? Do you still have an artificial heart?” Q looked at Jean-Luc with disdain. “Never mind! I’m going back to where I can have fun!” and winked out of existence off of the ship, leaving Jean-Luc’s badge spinning on the desk. 

“Daddy, who was that?” Jean-Luc shook his head at his Kindergartener. “I don’t know, Maura. I’m not sure that I _want_ to.”

_“Bridge to Captain Picard.”_

“Yes, Number One?”

_“There’s something strange here you had better see.”_

“Walker, I’m with Maura right now and Beverly is in Sickbay. Wes and Jacqui are both still at school. I can’t leave Maura alone. What is it?” 

“ _I’ll send it to your screen.”_ Jean-Luc nodded and activated his screen. A large jellyfish like blob appeared on the screen making Maura giggle. “Hmm. What _is_ that?”

 _“We were hoping you would have an idea, Captain.”_ Maura grabbed one of her books and held it out to Jean-Luc. “Well, Maura seems to think it’s a jelly fish. She just showed me the page in her fish book.” There was a chuckle over the comm. _“So, we’re going with space jelly fish as coined by your five-year-old?”_

“Absolutely, Wally. Keep me informed.” 

###

“Dad, can I show you my invention?” Jean-Luc was drinking a morning cup of tea and looking over the day’s briefings before the staff meeting. He put his PADD to one side. “Sure, Wes. What did you make?”

“It’s a mini tractor beam! Watch!” Wesley activated the device and levitated his glass of juice and put it back on the table soundly. Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “You did this all on your own? Data and Mister La Forge didn’t help?”

“Nope. I asked Geordi...I mean, Lieutenant La Forge if I could have any scraps and he showed me where to find them, but I came up with this all on my own!” 

“Well, I am impressed, Wesley. And I’m running late this morning. Can you walk Maura to the Kindergarten room for me?” 

“Sure, Dad.” 

“Thanks, Wes.” Jean-Luc pressed kisses to the tops of his daughter’s heads. “Maura, Aunt Sora is going to pick you up today and you’re going to play with John this afternoon. Jacqui, I expect you to come straight back to our quarters after class.” Jacqui nodded. “Your mother is already in Sickbay, her shift ends around the same time school does.” With a final sip of tea, Jean-Luc walked out the door and ran into Walker in the hallway. “Number One.” Walker raised his eyebrows at his friend.

“ _Captain._ Running a bit behind this morning?” 

“Beverly had an early shift, I had to get the children up.” Walker snorted. “Bet that was fun.” 

“Quite. Especially getting Maura to put on her clothes after she took off her nightgown.” 

“Ah, yes. I remember those days with Martha. I am _not_ looking forward to that with Lucy.” The two men continued to chat on their way to the turbolift and were met by the android officer, Lieutenant Commander Data. 

“Good morning Captain, Commander.”

“Good morning, Mister Data.” 

“I hope you are both well,” Data gave them both an attempt at a smile. Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.

“Yes, er...”

“I am attempting small talk. Is it working?” 

“Well....” Jean-Luc hedged. “Perhaps not with your commanding officer.” 

“Noted.”

They were in the middle of the staff meeting when an alert sounded. “ _Bridge to Captain Picard. We have received a distress signal.”_

“We’re on our way.” Jean-Luc looked around the table at his newly formed staff. Walker and Beverly were joined by Data, Lieutenant Commander Riker, Deanna, a Klingon named Worf, and a blind man named Geordi who wore a VISOR over his eyes to see. It was a rag-tag bunch, but Jean-Luc was confident. Jean-Luc rose from his seat. “We’ll finish this later. Doctor, be prepared for casualties.”

“Absolutely. We can convert one of the cargo bays into an additional sickbay if we need to. Please let me know how many people to expect.”

“As soon as we know.” Beverly nodded and turned to leave, shouting orders into her comm badge to her staff as she walked to the turbolift. 

It turned out, they wouldn’t need Sickbay. Every single person was dead on the ship that had sent out the distress signal. Since the ship had been performing valuable scientific experiments, Jean-Luc sent a team over to retrieve whatever data they could recover. Jean-Luc began listening to the captain’s logs from the ship and discovered the entire ship had appeared to be intoxicated. _Must have been some party_ he grimly thought as he wrote his own log file. 

The door chime went off for his ready room and he absently called out “Come.”

Beverly strode into the room, leaned over the desk and kissed him. “Well, this is a surprise. I thought we were keeping things professional when on duty?” He rose from behind the desk and grasped her by her hips. “Not that I mind,” he kissed her again. 

Beverly shook her head. “I don’t know. It just..came over me. I came to tell you that I think Geordi became infected with something when he was on that other ship and I just got the urge to come in here and kiss you...and uhm....” Beverly glanced around his room before lowering the zip on her uniform. 

“ _Beverly!_ ”

“Don’t tell me you never thought about it!” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Well...ah...Computer: Seal door. Only unlock to mine or Doctor Picard’s command.” 

_“Affirmative.”_ He raised his eyebrows at his wife and kissed her neck.

“Now that we won’t be disturbed....”

Clothing was strewn everywhere. Jean-Luc managed to retrieve Beverly’s bra from his model of the Stargazer on the wall with a grin. “Well, that was....”

“Amazing.”

“And quite unexpected. Though enjoyable.” He pulled on his boxers and reached for his jumpsuit from behind the sofa. 

“Jean-Luc, have you seen my knickers anywhere?” Jean-Luc looked around the room and shrugged at his wife. 

“They have to be _somewhere_.” 

“Hmm. I’ll just go without.” Jean-Luc’s eyes darkened again and he pulled his wife into his arms to kiss her.

“Now _that’s_ something I’ll be thinking about all day.” 

“Good.” She zipped up her jumpsuit and pulled back on her lab coat. “How does my hair look?”

“Like you’ve been thoroughly shagged.” He grinned.

“I was afraid of that.” Beverly replicated a brush and headed for his bathroom. She called out from the bathroom, “But I really _did_ want to talk to you about Geordi. He’s acting very odd. He was crying about not being able to see, and that’s entirely out of character for him.” 

“Could something have affected him from the other ship?” 

“Maybe. I’d like to run some more tests.” Beverly emerged with her hair once again in perfect position. She kissed him once more. “I’ll let you know what I find out. Computer: unseal door.”

_“Bridge to Captain Picard.”_

“Yes?”

 _“Sir, we appear to be locked out of engineering...by your_ son. _”_ Jean-Luc exchanged a look with Beverly. 

“On my way...” 

###

Walker was settling onto the sofa in the Ready Room with a cup of coffee when he reached between the cushions and pulled out a pair of pink knickers. Jean-Luc blushed, but took the underwear from Walker and shoved it into a drawer of his desk. Walker, for his part, wisely just quirked an eyebrow at his old friend and Captain before they began their daily meeting.

“The infection appeared to be transmitted by touch. La Forge touched one of the deceased crew members and the infection transmitted to him, which transferred to Wesley when La Forge clapped him on the back. Wesley then went to engineering, where he transmitted it to several of the Engineering crew.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“And La Forge gave it to Beverly when she was examining him in Sickbay after the team’s return, and she likely passed it on without realising it to any of her patients...and then she gave it to me.” Walker smirked. “The infection then spread throughout the entire ship, affecting all humanoid crew and civilians including Data, though surprisingly not Mister Worf.” Jean-Luc frowned.

“Yes, I was curious as to how an organic infection could affect Mister Data.” 

“Your guess is as good as mine. Not even Data knows everything about himself. He must have some kind of organic component that was able to be affected.” 

“Perhaps this is worth looking into for future reference. We need to know if Data is capable of becoming ill or carrying a virus before we allow him to go on away missions. If Beverly and Sora need to develop a vaccine for him, it might take time.” 

“Aye, Captain.”

“Any other ship business we need to discuss today?” Jean-Luc took a sip of his tea and looked at his best friend.

“Nothing that I can think of.” Their conversation turned to a more personal nature, discussing their children and a recent fight between Jacqui and Martha. 

“I don’t understand it, but Jacqui all of a sudden refuses to play with Martha.” Walker frowned.

“Martha is the same. In fact, she told me she would rather play with Maura and John.” 

“Do you think something happened at school?” Walker shrugged.

“I can try to find out, but you know our children. Martha hasn’t even told Sora what was going on, or Alice.” Jean-Luc nodded.

“As far as I know, Jacqui hasn’t talked to Beverly or Alice either. I’ll talk to Wesley, too. See if he knows why our girls aren’t speaking with each other.” 

“Can you believe they’ll be teenagers soon?” 

“Don’t remind me, Walker. I’d like to believe Jacqui is still the same age as Maura.” Walker grinned.

“Soon you’ll be turning boys away from dating her....”

“Need I remind you that Martha isn’t that much younger than Jacqui?” Walker paled.

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

###

Alice and Wesley were standing on the bridge, after many evenings of Wesley begging to see the bridge. “Wow, this is so cool!” Jean-Luc smiled at the pair. 

“Feel free to look around you two. Get familiar with the different stations if you’d both like to gain some work experience on the bridge.”

“Wow, really Oncle Jean?” Jean-Luc smiled at his cousin.

“Alice, on the Bridge, you’re going to have to call me Captain.” Wesley went to open his mouth. “That goes for you too, young man. There will be no special favours granted to you as my son. I don’t treat your mother any differently, either. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jean-Luc grinned at his son. He was trying not to show favouritism, but out of their class, only Alice and Wesley had shown an interest in Starfleet, though Alice was really more interested in Sickbay. The pair glanced around the bridge in awe and Wesley walked up to one of the stations and started asking complicated questions. Lieutenant Commander Riker glanced over at his captain. “Sir, I think your son knows more about my panel than I do!” Jean-Luc chuckled.

“I’m not surprised, Mister Riker. Wesley has been studying the schematics faster than Commander Keel could bring them home to him. Wes, why don’t you show Mister Riker what you can do.”

“Yes, D—Sir.”

“Bridge to Sickbay.”

 _“Sickbay._ ”

“Doctor Picard. I wondered if you would like to come to the bridge to escort your new protégé back to Sickbay?” Jean-Luc could hear the grin in Beverly’s voice when she replied.

_“I’m on my way.”_

Jean-Luc addressed the two youths. “From today, I am appointing the two of you _acting_ Ensigns. You both will be expected to keep up with your studies as well as perform your duties as acting Ensigns. Ensign Alice Picard, you will be working under Doctor Selar in Sickbay, but reporting to Doctor Hill. Ensign Wesley Picard, you will be working under Lieutenant Commander Riker, but reporting to Commander Keel. We have structured it this way due to the personal relationships you both have with members of the senior staff.” Wesley grinned. Can’t get more personal than your father being the ship’s captain.

“Da- I mean, Captain, You said we had to keep up with our studies, but I’ll finish my requirements next month.” 

“Mister Riker will find a course of study for you that will assist you when you eventually attend the academy and that will prepare you for the entrance exams. I understand they no longer have you report for a week of intensive study and testing and you only report for testing, so you will need to undergo your preparations onboard. Both of you. Alice, as you are seventeen, you are eligible to take your exams this year if you feel prepared. Wesley, you will need to wait until next year as the earliest you can take your exam is sixteen.”

“Can I wait and take them next year too? I want to be better prepared.” Jean-Luc smiled at Alice.

“Of course you can. In fact, Mister Riker, I’d like you to prepare the same course for Alice. She’s due to finish her requirements in a few months, too. Perhaps we can have her begin her preparations now and have it count towards her diploma instead.”

“I’ll look into that, Sir.”

###

Beverly leaned back in her chair with a cup of tea and grinned at her best friend. “This is nice. No children.” 

Sora grinned. “Indeed. It was nice of Alice and Wesley to offer to babysit so we could have an evening out, but why aren’t you having a drink?” Beverly shrugged.

“I haven’t been feeling well the last few days. I keep meaning to scan myself, but since no one else in the family is sick, I think something I ate the other day must not have agreed with me.”

“Did you eat some of those eggs Will Riker cooked a few days ago? I don’t know _where_ he got them from.” Beverly nodded. Sora made a face.

“That’ll do it.” They both laughed. 

Sora glanced around the lounge. “You know, this place is kind of nice. I’m glad children are only allowed until six. It’s nice to have a childfree evening of _anyone’s_ child.” Beverly grinned.

“Absolutely. Have you tried out the holodecks yet?” Sora shook her head. “You should. Jean-Luc and I were able to explore one of his favourite Dixon hill novels as if we were in it – he was Dix and I was a client.” Sora raised her eyebrow at her friend. “Not like that. We took Data and Wheelan with us, too. But...the thought _did_ cross my mind to go back later.” 

“Walker and I keep meaning to try it out with the kids. He thought it might be nice to create a park or a beach and have a family day. What do you think?” 

“Unless you want a specific park, go to the arboretum with the kids. Plus, there’s almost always other families there so there are kids they can play with. Maura has had no end of playdate invites from other parents now that she’s met some of the other kids her age. Of course, how much of that is because Maura’s father is the Captain....” Beverly grimaced. 

“I’m sure it’s because the kids like Maura. She’s a good kid.”

“Thanks.”

“How’s Jacqui taking to life on the ship?” Beverly frowned. 

“Not as well as Wesley and Maura, that’s for sure. I think it’s just being a preteen. She wants to be included with Wesley and Alice, but I think she’s a little too young to hang out with the teenagers on board, don’t you? She’s only eleven.” Beverly sighed. “But there aren’t many other eleven year olds on board for her to do anything with and when I suggest she play with Martha, she tells me she doesn’t want to.”

“Martha misses playing with Jacqui. I gather the two of them had a falling out, but I don’t know what it was over or who initiated it. All I know is Martha has been willing to play with John a lot more lately.” 

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to talk to her.” Sora shook her head .

”No, Bev. It’s alright. I’m sure the girls will work it out on their own. Besides, I think Jacqui might be feeling a little bit of middle child syndrome.” 

“What’s that?” Sora’s eyes twinkled and she motioned to their friend, Deanna Troi, who had come aboard as the head of counselling.

“Deanna, can you come over her and explain Middle Child Syndrome? I think Jacqui might be suffering from it, what do you think?” Deanna moved towards the small table and took a seat.

“It’s a possibility. Middle child syndrome is exactly what it sounds like. The middle child, in your case, Jacqui, begins to feel inadequate when compared to her older sibling and then feels the younger sibling is getting more attention from their parents than they are.” Beverly frowned.

“We try to spend time equally with the children. I suppose Maura just needs a little extra help since she’s only five...and it probably doesn’t help that we have Alice with us, too. But what can I do?”

“Maybe try to do something just the two of you? And I wouldn’t mind speaking with Jacqui if you think she’d attend.” Beverly wrinkled her nose.

“I don’t know. She has her father’s stubbornness. I’m not sure I’d get her to a counselling session, unless it was something _everyone_ had to do.” Deanna shrugged.

“I can make it a requirement for all the older children on board. Just a mental heath check to make sure they’re adjusting to life onboard.” Beverly nodded.

“That sounds like a good idea. You should mention it to Jean-Luc.” 

“I’ll bring it up at tomorrow’s meeting. In the meantime, try to schedule some one-on-one time with Jacqui.”

“I suppose we could use the holodeck. She’s been missing her dance classes. Maybe I could find her a dance class program. I could probably use the practice, too.” 

“Hey, that’s an idea. Why don’t you try to teach a dance class for the children?” Beverly shook her head at Sora.

“Really?” 

“Why not? Actually, you and Jacqui could teach it together – she could teach the little ones like Lucy...I’d sign her up for an hour of dance each week if it was offered.” 

“I’ll think about it. Plus, I’d have to get permission from Jean-Luc as Captain to add it to my schedule.” Sora’s eyes twinkled.

“ _Permission_.” 

“Ah, the life of being married to your commanding officer. Just wait until Wally gets his own command and _you’re_ the CMO.”

###

Beverly still wasn’t feeling well. She struggled into her uniform after her shower in the morning and joined her daughters and husband at the breakfast table as Wesley had already left for a bridge shift before class. Jean-Luc kissed her and passed her a cup of coffee – her usual morning drink of choice – and Beverly took one sniff of the offending black beverage before she was dashing back into the master bathroom. Jean-Luc frowned. “Jacqui, I’m going to check on your mother. Can you make sure Maura finishes her breakfast?”

“Sure, Dad. Hope Mom is alright.”

“Me too. If your mother is ill, I might need you to help me after school with Maura. Is that alright?” Jacqui nodded.

“Can I invite Berk over to do homework this afternoon?” Jean-Luc nodded.

“As long as you’re quiet and stay out of your mother’s way if she’s unwell.” Jacqui nodded again and Jean-Luc knocked gently on the bathroom door. “Bev? Sweetheart? Are you alright?”

“No,” came her grim voice from the other side of the door. 

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Jean-Luc slid open the door and Beverly was sitting on the edge of the bathtub with her head in her hands. Jean-Luc knelt down in front of her. 

“Bev?” Beverly looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong, my love?” Beverly wordlessly handed him her tricorder. “Are you ill?” Beverly snorted. Jean-Luc glanced down at the tricorder in his hands. He didn’t know what most of the readouts meant, but he knew the one he was looking at.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Jean-Luc grinned at his wife and kissed her. 

“This is wonderful!”

“Is it? It’s our first year on the ship, your first as Captain in command in several years....and now this? We can’t both afford to leave the ship for a year. What about the children? How are they going to react? Jacqui’s been having a hard enough time...” Jean-Luc cuddled his wife close to him.

“Shhh. All babies are miracles and precious gifts.” 

“I can’t believe I was stupid.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“The morning we had that Psi2000 infection?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“I remember it well. Speaking of, your knickers are still in my desk drawer. Walker found them.” Beverly blushed. 

“That morning I intended on having my implant updated, but we....” she trailed off and grinned. 

“We did.” 

Jean-Luc carefully pulled Beverly into a standing position and knelt in front of her to press a kiss to her abdomen. “So that would make you...”

“About ten weeks. If this one is like Maura, I’ll start to show a lot faster than I did with Wesley or Jacqui. But I’ll need to get Sora or Selar to perform a scan on me in Sickbay. I mean, I’m not as young as I was.” 

“Nonsense. We’re still spry. We’re not even forty yet.” Beverly rolled her eyes.

“I know _that_. But just because women _can_ have children well into their sixties doesn’t mean it can’t have complications as they age.” Jean-Luc gave Beverly a panicked look.

“Complications?”

“Nothing serious. I mean, yes, there can be serious issues, but I’m talking about possibly needing bed rest, needing to lessen my load at work so I have more time to rest, things like that.” 

“Well, Sora could handle some of your duties.” Beverly nodded. 

“But, that’s something to discuss later. First, I think I’d like to tell our children and call Maman and Papa.”

“Maman’s going to insist you have the baby in La Barre.” Beverly nodded.

“I think I’d like that. We’ll talk about it.” 

“Wesley is on a bridge shift right now, but why don’t we keep this to ourselves today and we’ll tell the children over dinner tonight. Will you be okay today or do you need to take the day off?” 

“I’ll be fine. I can give myself an antinausea hypospray.” She kissed him. “We’re really going to do this again, aren’t we?”

“I believe so, my love.”

###

Beverly was bored. She reduced her hours in Sickbay and spent much of her time in their quarters, “resting”. She hated resting. She paced around their quarters and joyfully smiled when the door slid open and Jacqui walked in with Maura in tow. “Girls! How was your day?”

“Eh.” Jacqui dumped her bookbag by the door and headed to the replicator, getting herself and her younger sister drinks. Maura came over to Beverly and patted her belly.

“Hi, baby!” 

Baby, the cat, looked up from the spot she was snoozing at and Jacqui laughed, picking up the cat and placing her in her lap. “Sorry, Baby. Maura meant the baby person, not you.” If cats could look indignant, Baby would have given an indignant look before settling on Jacqui’s lap and purring. 

Jacqui looked at her mother. “Mom, are you _sure_ there’s just one in there? You look really big.”

“Thanks, Jacqui. Yes, there’s only one baby in here. We checked. Multiple times. Besides, would you _really_ want two babies?” Jacqui snorted.

“No.” 

“Didn’t think so.” 

“When are we going home?” Beverly eyed her daughter. “You are home?”

“No, I mean home home. Our house home.” Beverly nodded. Their middle daughter definitely preferred life on the ground over the stars. 

“We return to La Barre in eight weeks, the baby is due in twelve. And then we’ll have to discuss what we are doing _as a family_ and make a decision together.”

“Oh. Can’t I stay with Mémé and Pépé after?” 

“Wouldn’t you miss us? We’d miss you.....” Beverly reached over and tucked a strand of Jacqui’s russet tresses behind her ear. Jacqui was almost the spitting image of Beverly when she was her age. Jacqui shrugged.

“I guess.” 

“Do you have any homework?” Jacqui nodded. Maura reached into her small bag and pulled out a worksheet. “Mommy, I gotta colour this in and pick a colour that starts with the letter.” 

“Ok, sweetheart, why don’t you get your crayons and we’ll colour at the table while Jacqui does her homework?”

“Ok. Where’s Daddy?” 

“Probably on the bridge, but Wesley will be home soon.” Maura seemed to accept the answer and headed for her bedroom for her large tub of art supplies. Jacqui settled in at the table with a PADD and her mathematics workbook. “If you need any help, let me know.”

###

James Howard Picard surprised everyone by arriving three weeks early. He was a healthy boy with a crop of red hair and a set of lungs to rival any prior Picard child. Yvette grinned down at her newest grandson, coddled in the arms of her youngest son. 

“Why James?”

“After the first Captain of the _Enterprise_ 1701\. James Kirk.” Yvette nodded. She knew how inspiring Captain Kirk had been to her son growing up so it wasn’t surprising, although she was a little surprised he hadn’t gone with Jonathan after Jonathan Archer and she said as much. Jean-Luc grinned. “Beverly said no. She thought it was too close to my own name and there’s little John Keel, too. Beverly was worried if we named our son Jonathan, he would go by either John or Johnny and she didn’t want there to be any confusion.” 

“I can see that. Now, why don’t you take your son back in to see your lovely wife for his first meal and I’ll send the children in when they get home from school and I will go inform your father his grandson didn’t want to wait.” 

“Wesley isn’t at school. He’s studying at home. At least, I _hope_ he’s studying. He might be wondering where we are by now...” Yvette laughed.

“I will go and retrieve my eldest grandson. I bet he’s happy for another boy in the family, _non_?”

“Well, the age difference might be a bit rough. Sixteen years between eldest and youngest. What _were_ we thinking, Maman?” Yvette kissed Jean-Luc’s cheek.

“You and Beverly were thinking how much you love each other, and how you have enough love to add to your family.” 

Jean-Luc smiled. “We do, but that didn’t prevent Beverly from scheduling a vasectomy for me.” Yvette raised her eyebrows.

“Oh?”

“James wasn’t....” Jean-Luc gazed down at his newest son. “We didn’t exactly plan for another baby, Maman. As much as we love James and are glad he’s joined our family...Beverly doesn’t want to have any more children, and I respect her decision. I volunteered for the vasectomy.” Yvette nodded and opened the door to Beverly’s old room.

“Now, take my grandson back to his mother. _J’taime_ , Jean-Luc.”

“ _J’taime, Maman_.”

###

“Mommy, he’s so tiny!” Maura was stroking James’ head. She was tucked under her mother’s arm, watching in fascination as James suckled on Beverly’s breast. 

“You were that tiny too once, squirt.” Jacqui leaned over their mother and tugged on one of Maura’s braids. Maura stuck her tongue out at Jacqui and Wesley laughed at his little sisters.

“Sisters, James. We can’t live with them...”

“HEY!”

“I was going to add, we can’t live without you?” It was Jacqui’s turn to stick her tongue out. Jean-Luc just laughed at the antics of his children. 

“Where’s Baby? It’s not family cuddle time without the cat.”

“I think she’s under the bed, Dad.” Wesley jumped off the bed and looked under it “Yep. Hey BabyCat. Want to come out and meet your human brother?” Baby dubiously eyed Wesley, but she crawled out from under the bed and allowed Wesley to pick her up. “Here you go Baby, meet your new brother, James.” Wesley kissed the cat’s head and whispered, “But you still love me best, right?”

James was done eating and Beverly discretely tucked her breast into her shirt. She nudged Maura. “Would you like to hold him?” 

“Can I?” Beverly nodded. “Seems to be an unofficial tradition in this family that we all pile on the bed together and the formerly youngest gets to hold the newest first.” 

“Here, Maura, I’ll help.” Wesley placed Baby on the bed who settled on Jean-Luc with a purr. Jean-Luc smiled and watched as Wesley lifted up Maura and settled himself next to Beverly with Maura on his lap. Beverly smiled and leaned over to kiss Wesley’s forehead.

“You’re a good brother, Wes. Ok, Maura, let Wesley help you support James. If your arms get tired, just tell me. He’s little, but he’ll soon start to feel heavy.” Maura solemnly nodded and Beverly placed the baby in her arms. Maura giggled.

“He’s warm an squishy!” 

“What were you expecting?” 

“I dunno. My dolly isn’t squishy.” Jacqui rolled her eyes.

“Your doll isn’t real person, that’s why. And before you ask, no, you can’t dress James up in doll clothes. Mom wouldn’t let me when you were a baby, so I bet the answer is still no.” Maura pouted.

“Mommy?” 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. James isn’t like a baby doll. But I tell you what, you can help me dress James whenever you want, alright?” 

“Ok.” Maura held her little brother for a few more minutes before she started to fidget on her older brother’s lap. Jean-Luc eyed the young girl.

“Maura? Are you ok?”

“I gotta go potty.” He chuckled. Beverly leaned over and took James back into her arms. “Go on. Need any help?”

“Mommy, I’m six now.” Beverly pretended to be impressed.

“Well, then. Six. Very impressive.” Maura climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom. 

“WOAH THERE’S LIKE A SWIMMING POOL IN HERE!” 

“Uhm. Wes....Can you...that was the birthing pool...”

“On it, Mom!” 


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot to squeeze into that last chapter....

Beverly was looking at her friend on the monitor with a look of shock on her face. “What?”

 _“I was reviewing the needs of the crew while you’re away and there’s a flag on Jean-Luc. Apparently, the type of heart he was given has been known to have faults and fail on the patient, so Starfleet Medical is recommending everyone with that type of artificial heart have voluntary replacement surgery.”_ Beverly raised her eyebrows.

“Voluntary? What are the options if they don’t?!” Beverly was panicking and Sora could tell. 

_“Calm down, Bev. You know Johnny will have the replacement surgery. As much as he hates having his artificial heart and hates surgery, he’ll do it for you and the kids.”_

“I know, but....what if it fails before he gets back to the ship? He won’t be back for another five months!” 

_“I’m sure Walker will bring the ship back as close as he can now, or I can take a shuttle. But Johnny_ could _just go to Starfleet Medical and have it done. There’s an excellent doctor in Paris...do you remember Katie?”_ Beverly glared.

“Kate Pulaski?” On screen, Sora nodded. “Absolutely not. There is _no way_ that woman is performing surgery on Jean-Luc!” 

_“Calm down, Bev. Look, let me go talk to Wally. I think Doctor Selar could handle things here for a few days if I came to you. Would that make you feel better?”_

“Yes. And, how are we with the Shalaft’s cure? I don’t want James to...”

“ _I know. Ideally, I’d like to have it ready so we can administer it to Maura too. And give it to Wesley and Jacqui. Even though they already had it, it should be able to prevent them from passing it on to any eventual children they have.”_

“Don’t forget Alice and Rene. I’m not sure if Robert and Marie plan on any more children, but it might not be a bad idea to offer it to Robert.”

“ _But not Johnny?”_ Beverly laughed.

“Oh no. He’s offered to have a vasectomy. I told him I was done. We have four children, that’s more than enough for me. He said he’d have you do it when he got back.” Sora smirked. 

_“You know, if I wasn’t a doctor and if Johnny wasn’t my superior, I could make comments about seeing Johnny’s penis.”_ Beverly laughed at her best friend.

“You’ll make them anyway.”

###

Jean-Luc was enjoying paternity leave. He was only taking six months for now, but it was nice being able to spend some time with his older children as well as being there to help Beverly with the baby. Of course, Wesley was chomping at the bit to go back onto the _Enterprise_ to continue his preparations for the Academy, and Jean-Luc was close to suggesting he go back on his own and asking Walker if he and Sora would look after Wesley for a few months.

Jacqui was enjoying her time back on solid ground, and Jean-Luc worried about his oldest daughter. He wasn’t sure if it was fair to force her to live on a starship and compared it to his father forcing him to help with the vineyard when he was younger. It, of course, caused resentment between the two as Jean-Luc entered his teen years, and it had only been Beverly who had really been the reason he and his father now got along. He worried about having a falling out with Jacqui, but he also didn’t want Jacqui to not live with them...even though he knew either Robert and Marie or his parents would allow her to stay with them if she wanted to. He brought up the subject of Jacqui one morning after he brought James in for his breakfast in bed. 

“Beverly, my love, what should we do about Jacqui?” Beverly adjusted James and looked over at her husband.

“I was hoping you would know. It’s obvious just from her improved grades that she prefers being on solid ground to living on a starship, but I don’t want her to think we’re abandoning her if we ask Robert and Marie to look after her.” 

“I feel the same way, Bev. I don’t want to leave my little girl behind, but if it’s what she wants....” Jean-Luc had tears in his eyes and Beverly just tilted her head to rest on his shoulder while she continued to feed James. 

“I guess the only thing we can do is ask her what she wants to do. She can stay here with me after you go back to the ship in five months and then after the rest of my maternity is over make her decision...”

“By then Wes might be ready to attend the Academy, too.” 

“From four kids to two in less than a year if she doesn’t stay with us.” Beverly frowned and then sighed. Jean-Luc kissed the top of her head.

“I know, my love. I know.” James squirmed in Beverly’s arms.

“Hmm, I guess you’re done eating.” Jean-Luc gave Beverly’s breasts a loving look before leaning over and kissing her deeply.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Where did that come from?” 

“You’re just amazing. Each time I watch you feed one of our children....” he trailed off and shrugged. “It’s just amazing.” 

“Hmm. Oh, I told Sora you were having a vasectomy. Expect lots of jokes about your penis from her.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. 

“I expect nothing less. And, this business with my heart? Are you sure I need it replaced again? I mean, I _feel_ fine.” 

“I know, but I’d rather you be safe. Sora said she was going to take a shuttle back to perform the surgery for you next week since she knows you’d only trust her to do this since I can’t. I mean, I would if I could, but....”

“No, my love. Treating me in your sickbay because I have a virus is one thing, but performing surgery on me....I wouldn’t put you through that.” He kissed her again and took James from her arms. “Ok, James. How about we change that nappy of yours and go downstairs for a bit and let your Momma get some more sleep, huh?” James let out a sleepy yawn and Jean-Luc chuckled. “Get some more sleep, Bev. I’ll get Jacqui and Maura off to school.” 

“Thanks.”

Jean-Luc strapped one-month-old James onto his chest with Beverly’s wrap and breathed a sigh of relief that he remembered how to use it. “Wes, I’m going to walk Maura to school. If your mother gets up, tell her I have James with me.”

“Sure, Dad. Hey Dad, can I use the console in your office? Geordi asked me to help him with something and I think I know how to do it, but I need a computer more powerful than mine to work ou the simulation.” 

“Go ahead. But don’t break it!” Wesley grinned at his father.

“I promise!”

Jacqui walked behind her father excitedly talking to her cousin, Rene, in rapid French. Jean-Luc grinned. Being back home afforded the children the opportunity to speak French again. He supposed they could speak it in their quarters, but they never bothered. He walked Maura to her classroom and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll pick you up this afternoon.” 

“Ok, Daddy. Bye Daddy, bye James!” Maura blew her father a kiss and went into the classroom. Jean-Luc looked down at James, who had his big blue eyes open. “Now then, young man. Shall we have a leisurely walk home through the vineyard and see what your uncle and Pépé are up to?” 

Jean-Luc kept a steady stream of talk to his son as he walked back home, telling James everything he was looking at. It was something Beverly had started doing with Wesley when he was a baby, and for all Jean-Luc knew, it was the reason their children were all so bright. He figured it couldn’t hurt. He rounded the corner into the vineyard and heard his father and brother working and headed over to see them. Maurice rubbed his hands on his overalls and grinned when he saw Jean-Luc.

“Good morning, Jean-Luc. And how is my little James this morning?” 

Jean-Luc lifted James out of the sling and passed him to his father. “Awake and not crying for now. “ Maurice grinned and started speaking a stream of French to James until James let out a big sigh and closed his eyes. 

“Ah, I must be boring today.” He passed James back to Jean-Luc and Jean-Luc settled him back in the sling. “Your mother wants me to tell you everyone is invited over for dinner tonight.” 

“What’s the occasion?” Maurice shrugged.

“I don’t think she has one. She just wants everyone over. You know your mother.” Jean-Luc grinned.

“We’ll be there, Papa.”

###

Beverly took James over to the main house in the afternoon and Jean-Luc walked to the school on his own to pick up Maura. Jacqui grinned and waved at her father before running off with some of her friends and Jean-Luc took Maura’s bag from her as Maura grabbed for his hand. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey, princess. How was school today?” 

“Ok I guess. Daddy, catch me!” Maura ran off and Jean-Luc grinned and jogged after her. He caught her and picked her up in his arms.

“I gotcha!” Maura giggled. 

“Put me down, Daddy!” Jean-Luc obliged and Maura giggled again. “Now catch me!” And she ran off towards the vineyard again. Jean-Luc laughed at her antics and picked up his pace. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and he paused to touch his chest. His heart was racing faster that it should be and he panicked, which naturally, caused it to run even faster. He managed to gasp out “Maura, get help!” before he fell to the ground. 

Maura screamed.

Jacqui was walking home with Rene and a girl from her class when she turned to her cousin. “That sounded like Maura. Come on!” They took off at a jog and Jacqui covered her mouth to hide her gasp when she saw her father laying on the ground. Maura ran to her and wrapped her arms around her sister. 

“I only....I only asked Daddy to chase me....”

“Shh, it’ll be alright. Rene. Will you run home and get my mom? And have Mémé call for an ambulance? Something is wrong with Dad.” 

“Want me to take Maura home?” Maura clung to her sister’s waist and Jacqui shook her head.

“No. I don’t think she wants to leave.” 

Rene nodded and took off for the vineyard at a run. Jacqui fell to her knees by her father’s head. “Dad? Dad, are you alright?”

“I don’t know, Jacqui baby. Where’s Maura?” 

“Daddy, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you hurt yourself!” Jean-Luc tried to chuckle, but it came out as a cough. “Princess, you didn’t do anything. Come here. “ Maura cautiously approached her father and he lifted his hand to her. She grasped it tightly. 

“Daddy, are you gonna die like Yuri’s daddy?” 

“Hope not, princess.” Jacqui looked at her younger sister with horror.

“Don’t you say that! Dad’s going to be fine!” 

Rene came running back with Beverly and Wesley trailing behind. Beverly dropped to her knees. “Jean-Luc. Can you hear me?”

“Yes....I’m ok. I think.” Beverly rolled her eyes.

“You’re not. An ambulance is on its way.” Wesley passed his mother her medkit and she pulled out her tricorder. 

“Always prepared, I see.” Beverly nodded and scanned him. She turned back towards Wesley. “Wes, sweetheart. Please take your sisters and Rene home. Mémé and Marie are at the big house.” 

“Ok.”

“I wanna stay with Daddy!” Maura wailed.

“I know you do, baby, but Daddy needs to see a doctor right now. I promise, you’ll see him later.” 

“But Mommy, you’re a doctor! You can fix him!” Beverly smiled.

“You’re right. I am. And that’s why I’m going to take care of Daddy for you, alright?” 

Wesley glanced at his mother and asked her silently if his father would be alright and Beverly nodded. She beckoned Wesley close and when he bent down to her she kissed his cheek and whispered. “He’s going to need the heart replacement sooner than we expected. Call your Aunt Sora.”

“Ok, Mom.” 

Beverly held onto Jean-Luc’s hand. “You’re alright. Ish.” He grinned.

“Do you say that to _all_ your patients?” 

“You’re going to need the heart replacement now. What were you doing?” 

“Chasing Maura.” Beverly smiled. 

“It was probably overtaxed which caused it to malfunction and suddenly slow down. Did your heart race?” He nodded. 

“I feel like I’m drowning.” 

“Let me see if I have anything I can give you to help...” Beverly rummaged in her bag and pulled out a hypospray. “This should help. Medics are on the way with an ambulance.”

“Where’s James?” Beverly smiled.

“He’s with Maman. He’ll be fine. Marie knows which supplement number he needs if there isn’t enough breastmilk in the freezer.” 

###

Sora glanced down at Jean-Luc as his eyes slowly opened. She grinned. “Hey there, Johnny. Jean-Luc tried to sit up and Sora placed a hand on him. “Not so fast, Captain. You just had surgery.” 

“Did you perform it?” Sora nodded.

“Of course. I managed to get here just in time. Probably broke a few rules taxing my shuttle just to get here for you. Hope my Captain doesn’t mind.” He cracked a smile.

“Bev?”

“She’s in the waiting room with your mother and the kids and just about everyone _else_. Should I get them for you?” 

“Please. Well, maybe just Bev first.” Sora grinned. 

“You have a certain youngest daughter who is worried that she killed her father.” Jean-Luc grimaced. 

“Ask Beverly if Maura can come in on her own. I think I need to talk to her and show her I’m alright and it wasn’t her fault.”

“Sure thing, Johnny.” 

Sora returned with Maura’s hand clutched in hers. “Maura, Daddy is fine. His heart had a defect in it and we had surgery scheduled to fix it, but it decided to not work sooner than we expected.” 

“Was it cos I asked Daddy to catch me?” Sora dropped a kiss on the little girl’s head.

“No, sweetheart. Come closer to the bed, Daddy’s waiting for you.” 

Maura cautiously approached the bed and Jean-Luc grinned. “Princess.” 

“Daddy!” Maura climbed up on the bed after glancing back at her aunt and rested her head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Daddy.” 

“Princess it wasn’t your fault. This surgery was already scheduled. We just needed to have it a little earlier, is all.” Maura sniffed.

“An I’m sorry I asked if you were gonna die.” 

“It’s ok, Princess.” Maura yawned and Jean-Luc grinned .”Sleepy, Princess?”

“Uh huh. Mommy let me stay up.” Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around his youngest daughter.

“Close your eyes, Princess.” Maura was soon fast asleep nestled against her father and Sora smiled before Beverly came in, carrying a slumbering James. Beverly leaned over and kissed him. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I’m sorry if you or any of the children were scared.” Beverly gently passed him James and squeezed onto the biobed on his other side to rest her head on his other shoulder. “Maura took it the hardest.” 

“She thought it was her fault. I think I convinced her it wasn’t.” Beverly turned her head and kissed him again. “But, uhm....don’t do that again please.” 

“I don’t plan on it, my love. Everyone else alright?” She nodded.

“I can get Jacqui and Wesley. And Maman. Papa. Marie. Robert. Rene. Alice. Aunt Adele....” Jean-Luc’s eyes bulged.

“ _Everyone_ is here?”

“Yep.”

“Uhmm....” he glanced over at Sora. 

“Yeah, trust me. Wally would be here too if he didn’t have to run your ship! As it was, I had to convince Lucy, John, and Martha you would be alright before they would let me go without them!” He chuckled. 

“If my doctor will permit my family to visit, send them in.” 

Somehow, Wesley and Jacqui squeezed onto the bed at Jean-Luc’s feet and he chuckled again. “Only missing the cat.” 

“Meme said no.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at Jacqui. She shrugged. “I asked.” 

“Your grandmother was right. Hospitals are probably not the place for cats.” 

“But she’s family!” 

“I know, sweetheart. But she’ll see me when we go home.” Jean-Luc smiled at his daughter.

“When will that be?” Jean-Luc glanced over at Sora.

“Depends on what my doctor says.” 

Sora pursed her lips. “After everyone says hello to you, I want to run a few more tests and then you can go home but only if you stay in bed for the next few days! Or the sofa. But no office. No working.” Jean-Luc frowned.

“I can’t expect Beverly to look after me and take care of James and the rest of the family. That’s not fair on her.” Sora grinned.

“You’re in luck, Johnny boy. I’m coming home with you for a few days.”

###

“Jacqui, sweetheart, your mother and I would like to talk to you in my office, please.” 

“Am I in trouble?”

“No, sweetheart.” Jacqui rose from where she was reading a book.

“Ok.”

She followed her parents into the room Jean-Luc had designated as his home office, even though Beverly used it as well and sat on the sofa.

“Sweetheart, my leave is almost up and I’m going to have to return to the _Enterprise.”_ Jacqui frowned.

“I know. I wish you didn’t have to.” Jean-Luc grinned.

“ _Someone_ has to look after your older brother. I’m sure he’s driving Aunt Sora and Uncle Walker crazy.” 

“Do I have to go too?” Jean-Luc glanced over at his wife. 

“No, sweetheart. I’m still here for another six months. You could stay with me and James if you wanted.” 

“What about Maura?” 

“We haven’t decided yet.” Jacqui frowned.

“Will you ask her what she wants too?” Beverly quirked an eyebrow. 

“She’s a little young, but if you think we should, we’ll ask her.” Jacqui nodded.

“It’s only fair.”

“I take it you’d like to stay with your mother here to finish the school year?” Jacqui nodded.

“I mean, I’ll miss you, Daddy.” Jean-Luc smiled. She hadn’t called him Daddy in quite some time. 

“I’ll miss you too. But, after your mother’s leave is up, she’ll be returning to the ship with James...”

“And me?” 

“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about. Do you _really_ hate it on the _Enterprise_?” Jacqui shook her red curls at her father.

“Nooo. I just....like it here better.” 

“I see. Well, we will give you a choice at the end of the six months. Your aunt Marie has agreed to allow you to come live with them if you really don’t want to come back to the ship with us. You’ll be thirteen by then, so your choices will be attending the secondary school here, boarding school, or returning to the ship.” 

“Boarding school? Really?” 

“There’s a school special for Starfleet officer’s children you could enrol in.” Jacqui nodded at her father. 

“It’s a lot to think about, Dad.” He nodded.

“I know, sweetheart. And I want you to know...I won’t be mad, whatever you decide, alright?” 

“I won’t either, baby. As much as I want you to stay with us, I understand. When I was your age, I would have done anything to not have to live on Caldos with Nana.” 

“You met Dad.” Beverly grinned.

“Not until I was sixteen and I worked very hard for my acceptance into the Academy. I’m not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t made it in.” Jacqui studied the floor.

“I don’t think I want to go to the Academy. Is that ok?” 

“Of course it is.” Beverly tipped up Jacqui’s chin to look at her face. “You are an individual, Jacqueline Yvette Picard. You don’t have to be like your father, me, Wesley, or anyone _else_ in this family. You get to decide what you want to be.” 

“I think I might....I might want to be a biologist? But like a plant biologist?” Beverly beamed. “That’s wonderful! And explains why you’d rather be on land than in space.”

“Yeah. And Pépé and Oncle Robert were teaching me about the grapes and Mémé said she went to school for Pedology....did you know that means the study of soil?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“I did, but only because your Mémé told me when I was younger. Is that what you’d like to do? Study the grapes and the soil?” Jacqui wrinkled her nose. 

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Jean-Luc patted her shoulder.

“You have plenty of time to decide . But don’t forget, we have a large arboretum on the ship and several botanists on board who I’m sure would be willing to talk with you.” 

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all we ask, sweetheart.” 

Jacqui turned to leave the room and after the door shut, Jean-Luc drew Beverly into his arms. “I’m glad Jacqui has found something that interests her, but I hope she doesn’t leave us just yet.” Beverly patted his arm.

“Me too. And you’re _sure_ you’ll be alright for six months if Maura wants to return to the ship?”

“Sure. How hard can it be?”

“Hm. Famous last words.”

###

Jean-Luc was counting down the days until his wife was back. He missed her, and he hated missing out on six months of James’ life, but it was trying to look after Maura on his own with only Wesley for support that _really_ made him appreciate his wife. 

“Sweetheart, come on. I need you to put on your nightgown now.” _Please,_ he added on silently.

“Don’t wanna.” Maura was running around the Captain’s quarters stark naked after her bath. 

“You can’t sleep naked.” 

“Why? You and Mommy do.” _Merde._ Jean-Luc shook his head.

“Only occasionally....sometimes we are so tired we forget to change into pyjamas. Are you tired?”

“No.”

“Then put on your nightgown, please.” Maura crossed her arms over her chest and not for the first time did Jean-Luc wish Beverly was back on the ship. Not that he expected Maura to listen to Beverly more than him, but at least it would be two adults against one child. Plus Maura tended to want to do whatever her older sister did, so if Jacqui changed for bed, Maura probably would, too. 

Jean-Luc’s mind wandered to his eldest daughter. Jacqui was enjoying her time on Earth, but had asked to come home with her mother and James in three weeks. Beverly and Jean-Luc agreed and gave her the option of changing her mind at anytime. Jean-Luc heard his door chime go off and he absently called “come”, not thinking about his naked daughter who immediately ran for the open door until she was caught in the arms of the Captain’s visitor. 

“Sir, I believe this one belongs to you?” Jean-Luc flushed.

“Thank you, Mister Worf. Maura, please put your nightgown on. I will be in to read to you as soon as I’m done speaking with Mister Worf.” 

“Fine.” Maura stomped off to her bedroom and Worf suppressed his grin. 

“Sorry about that, Mister Worf. What did you need to see me for?”

“The delegation from Antede Three will be beaming aboard shortly. You asked to be informed.” 

“Thank you. Why didn’t you just contact me on the comms?”

“I didn’t want to wake the child. When will Doctor Picard return to the ship?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Three weeks, Mister Worf. Now, how much time do I have to call for a babysitter so I can greet these Antedians?” 

“Forty minutes, Sir.”

“I will meet you in the transporter room.” 

###

Jean-Luc slumped into the sofa. Deanna Troi’s mother seemed to think that since Beverly was not on board, the two of them were no longer together and had been trying her best to win not only Jean-Luc’s affection, but the affection of Maura as well. Jean-Luc scrubbed his face as he rose and walked over to the replicator. “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.”

“Make that two....” Jean-Luc whipped around. 

“Beverly? What are you...your leave isn’t up for three weeks...where’s Jacqui? And James, how is my baby boy?” 

“See for yourself.” Jean-Luc approached his wife and kissed her deeply before pressing a kiss to his almost one-year-old sitting on her hip. He touched his forehead to hers.

“I am _so_ relieved you are back, but...why?” 

“Deanna.”

“Counsellor Troi?” Beverly nodded and placed the cat carrier with Baby on the floor. Jean-Luc immediately released the cat and she headed for Wesley’s bedroom.

“She called me. Told me her mother seemed to think we were splitting up and no matter how many times anyone told her differently she refused to believe it...so I thought James and I would come home a little early. Jacqui will be joining us after school lets out. She’s staying with Marie and Robert and Alice said she will escort her back to the _Enterprise_. Something about needing to beat up Wesley. I didn’t quite pay attention since the two of them are always pulling pranks on each other.” He grinned.

“Oh, he’s in trouble with her all right. Come join me on the sofa and I’ll fill you in on what our delightful son did to his cousin.” 

“Is Maura in bed?” Jean-Luc nodded. “And I already have James’ bedroom set up for him.” Beverly leaned over and kissed him.

“Good. If we don’t wake Maura, we can have the night to ourselves.....”

“I do like the way your mind works, my love.” 

James was put to bed and Wesley was informed not to disturb his parents, which he made a face over, and they were soon locked together in their bedroom. Jean-Luc slowly undressed his wife. “Oh, I’ve missed you.” 

“I’ve missed you too. Even with you visiting three months ago....three months is still a long time....” 

###

Jean-Luc carefully slid out of the bed with a grin. It was Beverly’s birthday, and he was determined to give her a fantastic party to rival the birthday she had planned for him just a few months prior. He tiptoed out into the living room and checked in on James. The eighteen-month-old was fast asleep in his crib. Jean-Luc gently knocked on Wesley’s door. “Wes?”

“Come in, Dad.”

“So you know what to do?” Wesley nodded.

“After school, head straight to Ten Forward to help Jacqui and Guinan with decorating.”

“And?”

“I’ll pretend it’s not Mom’s birthday when I see her.” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Good.” 

“What about Maura? How have you managed to keep her from blurting out anything to Mom?” Jean-Luc grinned.

“Why do you think she had a sleepover tonight? Walker is going to walk her and John to school, then pick her up after school. She won’t see your mother until the party.” Wesley grinned.

“Clever, Dad.”

“I know.” 

Jean-Luc left his son’s room and tapped on the door of his Eldest daughter. “Jacqui, sweetheart? Are you up?”

“Uh-huh. Come in, Dad.” 

Jean-Luc opened the door and peeked into his teenage daughter’s bedroom. “You know what to do?”

“Pretend it’s not Mom’s birthday. Got it.”

“Good. Love you.” Jacqui rolled her eyes.

“Love you too, Dad.” Jean-Luc heard stirring in the main bedroom.

“I hear your mother. I wasn’t here!” He shut the door and dashed into James’ room, picking the toddler up out of his crib. “Good morning, James. Let’s check on that diaper.” He was busy changing James when Beverly appeared at the door. 

“Oh, I thought maybe you....” 

“Thought I what?”

“Never mind.” Beverly frowned and Jean-Luc leaned over to kiss her.

“Something wrong, my love?”

“No...just....nothing to say to your wife this morning?” He smiled.

“Good morning?”

“Hmm.” Beverly took James from Jean-Luc. “Let’s get you some breakfast.”

“Berrrrkkkkfssst!” Beverly laughed and kissed his cheek. “Oh, I love you, James.” 

“Love Mmmmma!” 

Jean-Luc replicated their normal breakfast of coffee and croissants for him, Beverly, and Wesley, and a glass of orange juice and a bowl of cereal for Jacqui before feeding Baby. He scratched Baby behind the ears. “She has _no idea_!” Baby just blinked and settled into her breakfast. No doubt by the end of the day she and Data’s cat, Spot, would be up to mischief together.

Beverly sipped her coffee and looked at her husband and two oldest children. “Well?”

“Uhm...Good morning, Mom?” Beverly narrowed her eyes at her son.

“That’s it? ‘Good morning, Mom’?”

“Er...I’ll take James to day care for you?” Beverly smiled at her son.

“Thanks.” 

“Jacqui?”

“Hmm?” Jacqui was sipping her orange juice and looking over her notes for biology. 

“Anything to say to your dear, _old_ , mother this morning?” 

“I have a test in bio today. Gotta go. Bye Mom, bye Dad.” Jacqui took one more swig of her juice and winked at her father behind her mother’s back. 

“I guess I’ll just....get dressed...” Jean-Luc caught her hand. 

“I’ll join you in the shower?” Beverly grinned and Wesley clapped his hands over James’ ears.

“La la la James and I can’t hear you!” 

Beverly and Jean-Luc had a steamy shower together, but Jean-Luc still refrained from mentioning the fact that today was Beverly’s birthday. Her _fortieth_ birthday. She had made a big deal three months ago when it had been Jean-Luc’s, so she didn’t understand why he hadn’t brought it up. She stormed her way to Sickbay, and Jean-Luc felt badly for her first patient.

By lunch, Beverly was livid. Not a single one of her staff mentioned her birthday, and neither did any of the other senior staff. She stalked her way to Ten Forward for lunch, but was stopped by Guinan outside the door. “Sorry, Beverly. I’m closed today.”

“What?”

“There’s a private function.” Beverly narrowed her eyes at her friend. 

“A private function?”

“Yes. A _private_ function. Why don’t you come back this evening? Around seven?” Beverly shrugged. She had been hoping for some kind of nice meal with her husband with or without the children, but it sounded like she was on her own. 

“Sure.” 

“Great. I’ll see you then.” 

When Beverly arrived back at her quarters after her shift, no one was home. It was Jean-Luc’s turn to pick up James, and Beverly knew Maura had a playdate with John, but the location of Wesley and Jacqui eluded her. She sighed and decided to have a bubble bath while she had the time to herself. 

She was relaxing in the bubbles when she heard the door to the bathroom open and opened her eyes when Jean-Luc pressed a glass of wine into her hands. “Mm, you’re good to me.” 

“Wesley took James for the afternoon, so it’s just us. Can I join you?” Beverly narrowed her eyes at her husband, who was already standing in front of her naked. 

“No.”

“No?”

“Jean-Luc, don’t you _know_ what today is?!” He nodded. “Then why haven’ you—“ She was cut off when Jean-Luc’s lips crashed against hers. 

“Happy birthday, my love.” Jean-Luc climbed into the tub behind her and pulled her against his chest, nuzzling at her neck.

“Took you long enough,” she grumbled.

“Actually....” 

“There’s a party, isn’t there?” She turned around to look at Jean-Luc’s face. He grinned.

“You aren’t supposed to know, but you looked so miserable when I popped into Sickbay this afternoon....”

“I thought you forgot my birthday.”

“Never, my love. It was all a little game so we could surprise you tonight.” Beverly’s mouth formed an O. 

“So...the private function Guinan closed Ten Forward for?”

“The children were decorating.” 

“And the reason Maura spent the night with Sora and Walker?” Jean-Luc chuckled.

“Because we knew she couldn’t keep a secret from you.” 

“Guinan told me to come to Ten Forward at seven. Is that when..?”

“Yes.” 

“Mm, good thing its only four.” Jean-Luc trailed kisses across her shoulder. 

“I love you, Beverly. Happy fortieth.” 

###FIN###

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here, we’ve reached the end, with Beverly turning 40 on the same day I do (well, in terms of publishing date. Her birthday is in October). A HUGE thank you goes out to all of you who have read this story from the start, especially those of you who are my Twitter friends who hadn’t read fanfic before! Extra thanks go to my husband, who put up with me during NaNoWriMo 2018 as I wrote basically non-stop that month and completely ignored everything else, including our wedding anniversary! (He won’t see this. I don’t let him read my fic)
> 
> This was my longest fic by far with over 150k words. *whew* It was fun to write, and fun to edit week-by-week before posting, though I admit I have probably read the whole story from beginning to end about fifty times by now just to make sure it all still flowed as I made edits. 
> 
> This was the first fic I didn’t write entirely start-to-finish because I had scenes I planned out and written and then had to lead up to them! In fact, early notes stuck close to canon with Beverly and Jack dating & marrying and Jack dying and THEN our couple getting together, but clearly they had other ideas, and thank goodness for that.
> 
> This also was the first time I actually outlined a fic before I started to write it, an I learned that outlines are merely rough guides. Like I said, I always planned on this being 40 chapters and ending on Beverly's 40th, but the route to get there changed many times!
> 
> Some of you have asked if I’m going to write another epic for NaNoWriMo this November, and I don’t know. IF an idea springs to mind for it – yes. But I basically wrote the rough outline (because I knew it was always going to be 40 chapters) in October and the 150k over November doing absolutely nothing but writing in my spare time. I don’t know if I have that kind of time this year. We’ll see. 
> 
> I absolutely adore this version of Bev and Jean-Luc, so perhaps we’ll visit their universe sometime again, even if only for a few one-shots to fill in the gaps where I had to do time jumps to keep it to the timeline! 
> 
> to keep up with me, feel free to follow me on Twitter @annaonthemoon (or follow our couple at @PicardNeedsBev, Pictures of Gates at @gates_daily, and pictures of Patrick Stewart at @sirpat_daily).


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